qu -abbr

  1. question

qua ['kwä also 'kwā] -prep

  1. in the capacity or character of : as
    • discussing the story qua story

quaa·lude ['kwā-,lüd] -n

  1. a tablet or capsule of methaqualone

quack ['kwak] -vi

  1. to make the characteristic cry of a duck
  2. a noise made by quacking
  3. to act like a quack
  4. charlatan
  5. a pretender to medical skill
  6. of, relating to, or used by quacks
    • quack cancer cures

quack·ery ['kwa-k(ə-)rē] -n

  1. the practices or pretensions of a quack

quack grass ['kwak-] -n

  1. a European grass ( Elytrigia repenssyn. Agropyron repens) that is naturalized throughout No. America and spreads by creeping rhizomes called also couch grass quitch twitch witchgrass

quack·sal·ver ['kwak-,sal-vər] -n

  1. charlatan, quack

quad ['kwäd] -n

  1. quadrangle
  2. a type-metal space that is one en or more in width
  3. to fill out (as a typeset line) with blank space
  4. quadruplet
  5. a ski lift that holds four people
  6. quadraphonic
  7. quadraphonic sound
  8. a unit of energy equal to one quadrillion British thermal units
  9. quadriceps usu. used in pl.

quad·ran·gle ['kwä-,draŋ-gəl] -n, adj

  1. quadrilateral
  2. a 4-sided enclosure esp. when surrounded by buildings
  3. the buildings enclosing a quadrangle
  4. a tract of country represented by one of a series of map sheets

quad·rant ['kwä-drənt] -n, adj

  1. an instrument for measuring altitudes consisting commonly of a graduated arc of 90 degrees with an index or vernier and usu. having a plumb line or spirit level for fixing the vertical or horizontal direction
  2. a device or mechanical part shaped like or suggestive of the quadrant of a circle
  3. an arc of 90 degrees that is one quarter of a circle
  4. the area bounded by a quadrant and two radii
  5. any of the four parts into which a plane is divided by rectangular coordinate axes lying in that plane
  6. any of the four quarters into which something is divided by two real or imaginary lines that intersect each other at right angles

Qua·dran·tid [kwä-'dran-təd] -n

  1. any of a group of meteors that appear annually about January 3

quad·ra·phon·ic [,kwä-drə-'fä-nik] -adj, n pl but sing in constr

  1. of, relating to, or using four channels for the transmission, recording, or reproduction of sound

quad·rat ['kwä-drət, -,drat] -n

  1. quad
  2. a usu. rectangular plot used for ecological or population studies

quad·rate ['kwä-,drāt, -drət] -adj

  1. being square or approximately square
  2. expanded into a square at the junction of the arms
  3. of, relating to, or constituting a bony or cartilaginous element of each side of the skull to which the lower jaw is articulated in most vertebrates below mammals

quadrate -n

  1. an approximately square or cubical area, space, or body
  2. a quadrate bone

qua·drat·ic [kwä-'dra-tik] -adj, n, adv

  1. involving terms of the second degree at most
    • quadratic function
    • quadratic equations

quadratic form -n

  1. a homogeneous polynomial (as x 2 5 xy y 2) of the second degree

quad·ra·ture ['kwä-drə-,chu̇r, -chər, -,tyu̇r, -,tu̇r] -n

  1. a configuration in which two celestial bodies (as the moon and the sun) have an angular separation of 90 degrees as seen from the earth
  2. the process of finding a square equal in area to a given area

qua·dren·ni·al [kwä-'dre-nē-əl] -adj, n, adv

  1. consisting of or lasting for four years
  2. occurring or being done every four years

qua·dren·ni·um [-nē-əm] -n

  1. a period of four years

quadri- -comb form

  1. four
    • quadri lateral
    • quadru manous
  2. square
    • quadr ic
  3. fourth
    • quadri centennial

quad·ric ['kwä-drik] -adj, n

  1. quadratic
    • quadric surface
    used where there are more than two variables

quad·ri·cen·ten·ni·al [,kwä-drə-sen-'te-nē-əl] -n

  1. a 400th anniversary or its celebration

quad·ri·ceps ['kwä-drə-,seps] -n

  1. the greater extensor muscle of the front of the thigh that is divided into four parts

qua·dri·ga [kwä-'drē-gə] -n

  1. a chariot drawn by four horses abreast

quad·ri·lat·er·al [,kwä-drə-'la-t(ə-)rəl] -n

  1. a polygon of four sides

quadrilateral -adj

  1. having four sides

qua·drille [kwä-'dril, kwə-, kə-] -n

  1. a four-handed variant of ombre popular esp. in the 18th century
  2. a square dance for four couples made up of five or six figures chiefly in and time
  3. music for this dance

quadrille -adj

  1. marked with squares or rectangles

quad·ri·par·tite [,kwä-drə-'pär-,tīt] -adj

  1. consisting of or divided into four parts
  2. shared or participated in by four parties or persons
    • a quadripartite agreement

quad·ri·ple·gic [,kwä-drə-'plē-jik] -n

  1. one affected with paralysis of both arms and both legs

quad·ri·va·lent [,kwä-drə-'vā-lənt, in sense 2 kwä-'dri-və-lənt] -adj

  1. tetravalent
  2. composed of four homologous chromosomes synapsed in meiotic prophase

quadrivalent -n

  1. a quadrivalent chromosomal group

qua·driv·i·al [kwä-'dri-vē-əl] -adj

  1. of or relating to the quadrivium
  2. having four ways or roads meeting in a point

qua·driv·i·um [-vē-əm] -n

  1. a group of studies consisting of arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy and forming the upper division of the seven liberal arts in medieval universities

qua·droon [kwä-'drün] -n

  1. a person of one-quarter black ancestry

qua·dru·ma·nous [kwä-'drü-mə-nəs] -adj

  1. having feet adapted for grasping

qua·drum·vir [kwä-'drəm-vər] -n

  1. a member of a quadrumvirate

qua·drum·vi·rate [-və-rət] -n

  1. a group or association of four

quad·ru·ped ['kwä-drə-,ped] -n, adj

  1. an animal having four feet

qua·dru·ple [kwä-'drü-pəl, -'drə-; 'kwä-drə-] -vb

  1. to make four times as great or as many
  2. to become four times as great or as numerous

quadruple -n

  1. a sum four times as great as another
  2. having four units or members
  3. being four times as great or as many
  4. marked by four beats per measure
    • quadruple meter

qua·dru·plet [kwä-'drü-plət, -'drə-; 'kwä-drə-plət] -n

  1. a combination of four of a kind
  2. one of four offspring born at one birth
  3. a group of four musical notes to be performed in the time ordinarily given to three of the same kind

qua·dru·pli·cate [kwä-'drü-pli-kət] -adj

  1. consisting of or existing in four corresponding or identical parts or examples
    • quadruplicate invoices
  2. being the fourth of four things exactly alike
  3. to make quadruple or fourfold
  4. to prepare in quadruplicate
  5. four copies all alike used with in
    • typed in quadruplicate
  6. one of four things exactly alike
  7. one of four identical copies

quad·ru·pole ['kwä-drə-,pōl] -n

  1. a system composed of two dipoles of equal but oppositely directed moment

quae·re ['kwir-ē, 'kwer-] -n

  1. query

quaes·tor ['kwe-stər, 'kwē-] -n

  1. one of numerous ancient Roman officials concerned chiefly with financial administration

quaff ['kwäf, 'kwaf] -vb, n

  1. to drink deeply
  2. to drink (a beverage) deeply

quag ['kwag, 'kwäg] -n

  1. marsh, bog

quag·ga ['kwa-gə, 'kwä-] -n

  1. an extinct mammal ( Equus quagga) of southern Africa that resembled and was related to the zebras

quag·gy ['kwa-gē, 'kwä-] -adj

  1. marshy
  2. flabby

quag·mire ['kwag-,mī(-ə)r, 'kwäg-] -n

  1. soft miry land that shakes or yields under the foot
  2. a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position : predicament

qua·hog ['kō-,hȯg, 'kwȯ-, 'kwō-, -,häg] -n

  1. a thick-shelled edible clam ( Mercenaria mercenaria) of the U.S.

quai ['kā] -n

  1. quay

quaich ['kwāk̲] -n

  1. a small shallow drinking vessel with ears for use as handles

quail ['kwāl] -n

  1. : any of numerous small gallinaceous birds: as
  2. an Old World migratory game bird ( Coturnix coturnix)
  3. bobwhite
  4. wither, decline
  5. to give way : falter
    • his courage never quail ed
  6. to recoil in dread or terror : cower
    • the strongest quail before financial ruin -- Samuel Butler 1902
  7. to make fearful

quaint ['kwānt] -adj, adv, n

  1. expert, skilled
  2. marked by skillful design
    • quaint with many a device in India ink -- Herman Melville
  3. marked by beauty or elegance
  4. unusual or different in character or appearance : odd
    • figures of fun, quaint people -- Herman Wouk
  5. pleasingly or strikingly old-fashioned or unfamiliar

quake ['kwāk] -vi

  1. to shake or vibrate usu. from shock or instability
  2. to tremble or shudder usu. from cold or fear
  3. an instance of shaking or trembling (as of the earth or moon)
  4. earthquake

quak·er ['kwā-kər] -n, adj

  1. one that quakes
  2. friend

Quaker gun -n

  1. a dummy piece of artillery usu. made of wood

quak·erla·dies [,kwā-kər-'lā-dēz] -n pl

  1. bluets

quaking aspen -n

  1. an aspen ( Populus tremuloides) chiefly of the U.S. and Canada with small nearly circular leaves that have flattened petioles and finely serrate margins and that flutter in the slightest breeze

qual -abbr

  1. quality

qua·le ['kwä-lē, -,lā] -n

  1. a property (as redness) considered apart from things having the property : universal
  2. a property as it is experienced as distinct from any source it might have in a physical object

qual·i·fi·able [,kwä-lə-'fī-ə-bəl] -adj

  1. capable of qualifying or being qualified

qual·i·fi·ca·tion [,kwä-lə-fə-'kā-shən] -n

  1. a restriction in meaning or application : a limiting modification
    • this statement stands without qualification
  2. nature
  3. characteristic
  4. a quality or skill that fits a person (as for an office)
    • the applicant with the best qualification s
  5. a condition or standard that must be complied with (as for the attainment of a privilege)
    • a qualification for membership

qual·i·fied ['kwä-lə-,fīd] -adj, adv

  1. fitted (as by training or experience) for a given purpose : competent
  2. having complied with the specific requirements or precedent conditions (as for an office or employment) : eligible
  3. limited or modified in some way
    • qualified approval

qual·i·fi·er [-,fī(-ə)r] -n

  1. : one that qualifies: as
  2. one that satisfies requirements or meets a specified standard
  3. a word (as an adjective) or word group that limits or modifies the meaning of another word (as a noun) or word group

qual·i·fy ['kwä-lə-,fī] -vb

  1. to reduce from a general to a particular or restricted form : modify
  2. to make less harsh or strict : moderate
  3. to alter the strength or flavor of
  4. to limit or modify the meaning of (as a noun)
  5. to characterize by naming an attribute : describe
    • cannot qualify it as...either glad or sorry -- T. S. Eliot
  6. to fit by training, skill, or ability for a special purpose
  7. to declare competent or adequate : certify
  8. to invest with legal capacity : license
  9. to be or become fit (as for an office) : meet the required standard
  10. to acquire legal or competent power or capacity
    • has just qualified as a lawyer
  11. to exhibit a required degree of ability in a preliminary contest
    • qualified for the finals
  12. to shoot well enough to earn a marksmanship badge

qual·i·ta·tive ['kwä-lə-,tā-tiv] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or involving quality or kind

qualitative analysis -n

  1. chemical analysis designed to identify the components of a substance or mixture

qual·i·ty ['kwä-lə-tē] -n

  1. peculiar and essential character : nature
    • her ethereal quality -- Gay Talese
  2. an inherent feature : property
    • had a quality of stridence, dissonance -- Roald Dahl
  3. capacity, role
    • in the quality of reader and companion -- Joseph Conrad
  4. degree of excellence : grade
    • the quality of competing air service -- Current Biog.
  5. superiority in kind
    • merchandise of quality
  6. social status : rank
  7. aristocracy
  8. a distinguishing attribute : characteristic
    • possesses many fine qualities
  9. an acquired skill : accomplishment
  10. the character in a logical proposition of being affirmative or negative
  11. vividness of hue
  12. timbre
  13. the identifying character of a vowel sound determined chiefly by the resonance of the vocal chambers in uttering it
  14. the attribute of an elementary sensation that makes it fundamentally unlike any other sensation

quality -adj

  1. being of high quality

quality assurance -n

  1. a program for the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service, or facility to ensure that standards of quality are being met

quality circle -n

  1. a group of employees who volunteer to meet regularly to discuss and propose solutions to problems (as of quality or productivity) in the workplace

quality control -n

  1. an aggregate of activities (as design analysis and inspection for defects) designed to ensure adequate quality esp. in manufactured products

quality point -n

  1. grade point

quality point average -n

  1. grade point average

qualm ['kwäm also 'kwȯm or 'kwälm] -n, adj

  1. a sudden attack of illness, faintness, or nausea
  2. a sudden access of usu. disturbing emotion (as doubt or fear)
  3. a feeling of uneasiness about a point esp. of conscience or propriety

qualm·ish ['kwä-mish also 'kwȯ- or 'kwäl-] -adj, adv, n

  1. feeling qualms : nauseated
  2. overly scrupulous : squeamish
  3. of, relating to, or producing qualms

quamash ['ka-məs] -n

(variant of camas)

  1. any of a genus ( Camassiaand esp. C. quamash) of plants of the lily family chiefly of the western U.S. with edible bulbs

quan·da·ry ['kwän-d(ə-)rē] -n

  1. a state of perplexity or doubt

quan·go ['kwaŋ-,gō] -n

  1. a partly autonomous regulatory agency
  2. one in Britain organized outside the civil service but financed and appointed by the government

quan·tal ['kwän-tᵊl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or having only two experimental alternatives (as dead or alive, all or none)
  2. of or relating to a quantum

quan·ti·fi·ca·tion [,kwän-tə-fə-'kā-shən] -n, adj, adv

  1. the operation of quantifying

quan·ti·fi·er ['kwän-tə-,fī(-ə)r] -n

  1. : one that quantifies: as
  2. a prefixed operator that binds the variables in a logical formula by specifying their quantity
  3. a limiting noun modifier (as fivein the five young men) expressive of quantity and characterized by occurrence before the descriptive adjectives in a noun phrase

quan·ti·fy [-,fī] -vt, adj

  1. to limit by a quantifier
  2. to bind by prefixing a quantifier
  3. to make explicit the logical quantity of
  4. to determine, express, or measure the quantity of

quan·ti·tate ['kwän-tə-,tāt] -vt, n

  1. to measure or estimate the quantity of
  2. to measure or determine precisely
  3. to express in quantitative terms

quan·ti·ta·tive ['kwän-tə-,tā-tiv] -adj, adv, n

  1. of, relating to, or expressible in terms of quantity
  2. of, relating to, or involving the measurement of quantity or amount
  3. based on quantity
  4. based on temporal quantity or duration of sounds

quantitative analysis -n

  1. chemical analysis designed to determine the amounts or proportions of the components of a substance

quantitative inheritance -n

  1. genetic inheritance of a character (as human skin color) controlled by polygenes

quan·ti·ty ['kwän-tə-tē] -n

  1. an indefinite amount or number
  2. a determinate or estimated amount
  3. total amount or number
  4. a considerable amount or number often used in pl.
    • generous quantities of luck -- H. E. Putsch
  5. the aspect in which a thing is measurable in terms of greater, less, or equal or of increasing or decreasing magnitude
  6. the subject of a mathematical operation
  7. an individual considered with respect to a given situation
    • an unknown quantity...as attorney general -- Tom Wicker
  8. duration and intensity of speech sounds as distinct from their individual quality or phonemic character
  9. the relative length or brevity of a prosodic syllable in some languages (as Greek and Latin)
  10. the relative duration or time length of a speech sound or sound sequence
  11. the character of a logical proposition as being universal, particular, or singular

quantity theory -n

  1. a theory in economics: changes in the price level tend to vary directly with the amount of money in circulation and the rate of its circulation

quan·tize ['kwän-,tīz] -vt, n

  1. to subdivide (as energy) into small but measurable increments
  2. to calculate or express in terms of quantum mechanics

quan·tum ['kwän-təm] -n

  1. quantity, amount
  2. portion, part
  3. gross quantity : bulk
  4. any of the very small increments or parcels into which many forms of energy are subdivided
  5. any of the small subdivisions of a quantized physical magnitude (as magnetic moment)

quantum -adj

  1. large, significant
    • a quantum improvement
  2. of, relating to, or employing the principles of quantum mechanics
    • quantum physics

quantum chromodynamics -n pl but sing in constr

  1. a theory of fundamental particles based on the assumption that quarks are distinguished by differences in color and are held together (as in hadrons) by an exchange of gluons

quantum electrodynamics -n pl but usu sing in constr

  1. quantum mechanics applied to electrical interactions (as between nuclear particles)

quantum field theory -n

  1. a theory in physics: the interaction of two separate physical systems (as particles) is attributed to a field that extends from one to the other and is manifested in a particle exchange between the two systems

quantum jump -n

  1. an abrupt transition (as of an electron, an atom, or a molecule) from one discrete energy state to another
  2. quantum leap

quantum leap -n

  1. an abrupt change, sudden increase, or dramatic advance

quantum mechanics -n pl but sing or pl in constr, adj, adv

  1. a theory of matter that is based on the concept of the possession of wave properties by elementary particles, that affords a mathematical interpretation of the structure and interactions of matter on the basis of these properties, and that incorporates within it quantum theory and the uncertainty principle called also wave mechanics

quantum number -n

  1. any of a set of numbers that indicate the magnitude of various discrete quantities (as electric charge) of a particle or system and that serve to define its state

quantum theory -n

  1. a theory in physics based on the concept of the subdivision of radiant energy into finite quanta and applied to numerous processes involving transference or transformation of energy in an atomic or molecular scale
  2. quantum mechanics

quar -abbr

  1. quarterly

quar·an·tine ['kwȯr-ən-,tēn, 'kwär-] -n

  1. a period of 40 days
  2. a term during which a ship arriving in port and suspected of carrying contagious disease is held in isolation from the shore
  3. a regulation placing a ship in quarantine
  4. a place where a ship is detained during quarantine
  5. a restraint upon the activities or communication of persons or the transport of goods designed to prevent the spread of disease or pests
  6. a place in which those under quarantine are kept
  7. a state of enforced isolation

quarantine -vb

  1. to detain in or exclude by quarantine
  2. to isolate from normal relations or communication
    • quarantine an aggressor
  3. to establish or declare a quarantine

quare ['kwir] -adj, adv, n

(variant of queer)

  1. worthless, counterfeit
    • queer money
  2. questionable, suspicious
  3. differing in some odd way from what is usual or normal
  4. eccentric, unconventional
  5. mildly insane : touched
  6. absorbed or interested to an extreme or unreasonable degree : obsessed
  7. homosexual
  8. gay
  9. not quite well
  10. to spoil the effect or success of
    • queer one's plans
  11. to put or get into an embarrassing or disadvantageous situation
  12. one that is queer
  13. homosexual

quark ['kwȯrk, 'kwärk] -n

  1. any of several elementary particles that are postulated to come in pairs (as in the up and down varieties) of similar mass with one member having a charge of and the other a charge of and are held to make up hadrons

quar·rel ['kwȯr(-ə)l, 'kwär(-ə)l] -n

  1. a square-headed bolt or arrow esp. for a crossbow

quarrel -n

  1. a ground of dispute or complaint
    • have no quarrel with a different approach
  2. a usu. verbal conflict between antagonists : altercation
  3. to find fault
    • many people quarrel with the idea -- Johns Hopkins Mag.
  4. to contend or dispute actively
    • quarrel ed frequently with his superiors -- London Calling

quar·rel·some ['kwȯr(-ə)l-səm, 'kwär(-ə)l-] -adj, adv, n

  1. apt or disposed to quarrel in an often petty manner : contentious

quar·ri·er ['kwȯr-ē-ər, 'kwär-] -n

  1. a worker in a stone quarry

quar·ry ['kwȯr-ē, 'kwär-] -n

  1. a heap of the game killed in a hunt
  2. game
  3. game hunted with hawks
  4. one that is sought or pursued : prey

quarry -n

  1. an open excavation usu. for obtaining building stone, slate, or limestone
  2. a rich source
  3. to dig or take from or as if from a quarry
    • quarry marble
  4. to make a quarry in
    • quarry a hill
  5. to delve in or as if in a quarry
  6. a diamond-shaped pane of glass, stone, or tile

quarrying -n

  1. the business, occupation, or act of extracting useful material (as building stone) from quarries

quar·ry·man ['kwȯr-ē-mən, 'kwär-] -n

  1. quarrier

quart ['kwȯrt] -n

  1. a vessel or measure having a capacity of one quart

quar·tan ['kwȯr-tᵊn] -adj

  1. occurring every fourth day reckoning inclusively
  2. recurring at approximately 72-hour intervals
    • a quartan ague

quartan -n

  1. a quartan fever

quar·ter ['kwȯ(r)-tər also 'kȯ(r)-] -n

  1. one of four equal parts into which something is divisible : a fourth part
    • in the top quarter of his class
  2. any of various units of capacity or weight equal to or derived from one fourth of some larger unit
  3. any of various units of length or area equal to one fourth of some larger unit
  4. : the fourth part of a measure of time: as
  5. one of a set of four 3-month divisions of a year
    • business was up during the third quarter
  6. a school term of about 12 weeks
  7. quarter hour
    • a quarter after three
  8. a coin worth a quarter of a dollar
  9. the sum of 25 cents
  10. one limb of a quadruped with the adjacent parts
  11. one fourth part of the carcass of a slaughtered animal including a leg
  12. hindquarter
  13. the region or direction lying under any of the four divisions of the horizon
  14. one of the four parts into which the horizon is divided or the cardinal point corresponding to it
  15. a compass point or direction other than the cardinal points
  16. an unspecified person or group
    • financial help from many quarter s -- Current Biog.
  17. a point, direction, or place not definitely identified
    • the view to the rear quarter -- Consumer Reports
  18. a division or district of a town or city
    • he describes the immigrant quarter -- Alfred Kazin
  19. the inhabitants of such a quarter
  20. an assigned station or post
  21. an assembly of a ship's company for ceremony, drill, or emergency
  22. living accommodations : lodgings
    • show you to your quarter s
  23. merciful consideration of an opponent
    • a team that gave no quarter during the championship game
  24. the clemency of not killing a defeated enemy
  25. a fourth part of the moon's period
  26. the side of a horse's hoof between the toe and the heel
  27. any of the four parts into which a heraldic field is divided
  28. a bearing or charge occupying the first fourth part of a heraldic field
  29. the stern area of a ship's side
  30. one side of the upper of a shoe or boot from heel to vamp
  31. one of the four equal periods into which the playing time of some games is divided

quarter -vt

  1. to cut or divide into four equal or nearly equal parts
    • quarter an apple
    • condemned to be hanged, drawn, and quarter ed
  2. divide
  3. to provide with lodging or shelter
  4. to crisscross (an area) in many directions
  5. to arrange or bear (as different coats of arms) quarterly on one escutcheon
  6. to add (a coat of arms) to others on one escutcheon
  7. to divide (a shield) into distinct sections (as by stripes)
  8. lodge, dwell
  9. to crisscross a district
  10. to change from one quarter to another
    • the moon quarter s
  11. to strike on a ship's quarter
    • the wind was quarter ing
  12. consisting of or equal to a quarter

quar·ter·age ['kwȯ(r)-tə-rij] -n

  1. a quarterly payment, tax, wage, or allowance

quar·ter·back ['kwȯ(r)-tər-,bak] -n

  1. an offensive back in football who usu. lines up behind the center, calls the signals, and directs the offensive play of the team
  2. one who directs and leads

quarterback -vt

  1. to direct the offensive play of (as a football team)
  2. to give executive direction to : boss
    • quarterback ed the original buying syndicate -- Time
  3. to play quarterback

quarterback sneak -n

  1. a usu. quick run with the ball by a quarterback into the middle of the offensive line

quar·terbound ['kwȯ(r)-tər-'bau̇nd] -adj, n

  1. bound in material of two qualities with the material of better quality on the spine only

quarter day -n

  1. the day which begins a quarter of the year and on which a quarterly payment often falls due

quar·ter·deck ['kwȯ(r)-tər-,dek] -n

  1. the stern area of a ship's upper deck
  2. a part of a deck on a naval vessel set aside by the captain for ceremonial and official use

quar·ter·fi·nal [,kwȯ(r)-tər-'fī-nᵊl] -n

  1. a quarterfinal round
  2. a quarterfinal match

quarterfinal -adj

  1. immediately preceding the semifinal in an elimination tournament
  2. of or participating in a quarterfinal

quarter horse -n

  1. any of a breed of compact muscular saddle horses developed in the U.S. and characterized by great endurance and by high speed for short distances

quarter hour -n

  1. fifteen minutes
  2. any of the quarter points of an hour
  3. a unit of academic credit representing an hour of class (as lecture class) or three hours of laboratory work each week for an academic quarter

quar·ter·ing ['kwȯ(r)-tə-riŋ] -n

  1. the division of an escutcheon containing different coats of arms into four or more compartments
  2. a quarter of an escutcheon or the coat of arms on it
  3. a line of usu. noble or distinguished ancestry

quartering -adj

  1. coming from a point well abaft the beam of a ship but not directly astern
    • quartering waves
  2. lying at right angles

quar·ter·ly ['kwȯ(r)-tər-lē] -adv

  1. in heraldic quarters or quarterings
  2. at 3-month intervals

quarterly -adj

  1. computed for or payable at 3-month intervals
    • a quarterly premium
  2. recurring, issued, or spaced at 3-month intervals
  3. divided into heraldic quarters or compartments
  4. a periodical published four times a year

Quarterly Meeting -n

  1. an organizational unit of the Society of Friends usu. composed of several Monthly Meetings

quar·ter·mas·ter ['kwȯ(r)-tər-,mas-tər] -n

  1. a petty officer who attends to a ship's helm, binnacle, and signals
  2. an army officer who provides clothing and subsistence for a body of troops

quar·tern ['kwȯ(r)-tərn] -n

  1. a fourth part (as of a unit of measurement)

quarter note -n

  1. a musical note with the time value of of a whole note

quarter rest -n

  1. a musical rest corresponding in time value to a quarter note

quar·ter·sawn ['kwȯ(r)-tər-'sȯn] -adj

  1. sawed from quartered logs so that the annual rings are nearly at right angles to the wide face used of boards and planks

quarter section -n

  1. a tract of land that is half a mile square and contains 160 acres in the U.S. government system of land surveying

quarter sessions -n pl

  1. a former English local court with limited original and appellate criminal and sometimes civil jurisdiction and often administrative functions held quarterly usu. by two justices of the peace in a county or by a recorder in a borough

quar·ter·staff ['kwȯ(r)-tər-,staf] -n

  1. a long stout staff formerly used as a weapon and wielded with one hand in the middle and the other between the middle and the end

quarter tone -n

  1. a musical interval of one half a semitone
  2. a tone at an interval of one quarter

quar·tet [kwȯr-'tet] -n

  1. a musical composition for four instruments or voices
  2. a group or set of four
  3. the performers of a quartet

quar·tic ['kwȯr-tik] -adj, n

  1. of the fourth degree
    • quartic equation

quar·tier [kär-'tyā] -n

  1. a district or neighborhood esp. in a French city

quar·tile ['kwȯr-,tī(-ə)l, -tᵊl] -n

  1. any of the three values that divide the items of a frequency distribution into four classes with each containing one fourth of the total population
  2. any one of the four classes

quar·to ['kwȯr-(,)tō] -n

  1. the size of a piece of paper cut four from a sheet
  2. paper or a page of this size
  3. a book printed on quarto pages

quartz ['kwȯrts] -n, adj

  1. a mineral consisting of silicon dioxide occurring in colorless and transparent or colored hexagonal crystals or in crystalline masses
  2. a quartz crystal that when placed in an electric field oscillates at a constant frequency and is used to control devices which require precise regulation
    • a quartz watch

quartz glass -n

  1. vitreous silica prepared from pure quartz and noted for its transparency to ultraviolet radiation

quartz heater -n

  1. a portable electric radiant heater that has heating elements sealed in quartz-glass tubes producing infrared radiation in front of a reflective backing

quartziodine lamp -n

  1. a lightbulb consisting of a quartz bulb and a tungsten filament with the bulb containing iodine which reacts with the vaporized tungsten to prevent excessive blackening of the bulb

quartz·ite ['kwȯrt-,sīt] -n, adj

  1. a compact granular rock composed of quartz and derived from sandstone by metamorphism

qua·sar ['kwā-,zär also -,sär] -n

  1. any of a class of celestial objects that resemble stars but whose large redshift and apparent brightness imply extreme distance and huge energy output

quash ['kwäsh, 'kwȯsh] -vt

  1. to suppress or extinguish summarily and completely
    • quash a rebellion
  2. to nullify esp. by judicial action
    • quash an indictment

qua·si ['kwā-,zī, -,sī; 'kwä-zē, -sē] -adj

  1. having some resemblance usu. by possession of certain attributes
    • a quasi corporation
  2. having a legal status only by operation or construction of law and without reference to intent
    • a quasi contract

quasi- -comb form

  1. in some sense or degree
    • quasi periodic
    • quasi- judicial
  2. resembling in some degree
    • quasi particle

qua·si·crys·tal ['kwā-,zī-,kris-tᵊl, -sī-, 'kwä-zē-, -sē-] -n, adj

  1. a body of solid material that resembles a crystal in being composed of repeating structural units but that incorporates two or more unit cells into a quasiperiodic structure

qua·sigov·ern·men·tal [-,gə-vər(n)-'men-tᵊl] -adj

  1. supported by the government but managed privately
    • a quasigovernmental health-care agency

qua·siju·di·cial [,kwā-,zī-ju̇-'di-shəl, -,sī-, ,kwä-zē-, -sē-] -adj, adv

  1. having a partly judicial character by possession of the right to hold hearings on and conduct investigations into disputed claims and alleged infractions of rules and regulations and to make decisions in the general manner of courts
    • quasijudicial bodies
  2. essentially judicial in character but not within the judicial power or function esp. as constitutionally defined
    • quasijudicial review

qua·sileg·is·la·tive [-'le-jəs-,lā-tiv] -adj

  1. having a partly legislative character by possession of the right to make rules and regulations having the force of law
    • a quasilegislative agency
  2. essentially legislative in character but not within the legislative power or function esp. as constitutionally defined
    • quasilegislative powers

Qua·si·mo·do [,kwä-si-'mō-(,)dō, ,kwä-zi-] -n

  1. low sunday

qua·si·par·ti·cle [,kwā-,zī-'pär-ti-kəl, -,sī-, ,kwä-zē-, -sē-] -n

  1. a composite entity (as a vibration in a solid) that is analogous in its behavior to a single particle

qua·si·pe·ri·od·ic [-,pir-ē-'ä-dik] -adj, n

  1. almost but not quite periodic
  2. periodic on a small scale but unpredictable at some larger scale

qua·sipub·lic [-'pə-blik] -adj

  1. essentially public (as in services rendered) although under private ownership or control

qua·sistel·lar object [-'ste-lər-] -n

  1. quasar

quas·sia ['kwä-shə] -n

  1. a drug from the heartwood and bark of various tropical trees of the ailanthus family used esp. as a bitter tonic and remedy for roundworms in children and as an insecticide

qua·ter·cen·te·na·ry [,kwä-tər-sen-'te-nə-rē, -'sen-tə-,ner-ē, -sen-'tē-nə-rē] -n

  1. a 400th anniversary or its celebration

qua·ter·na·ry ['kwä-tə(r)-,ner-ē, kwə-'tər-nə-rē] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or consisting of four units or members
  2. of, relating to, or being a number system with a base of four
  3. of, relating to, or being the geological period from the end of the Tertiary to the present time or the corresponding system of rocks
  4. consisting of, containing, or being an atom bonded to four other atoms

quaternary -n

  1. the Quaternary period or system of rocks
  2. a member of a group fourth in order or rank

quaternary ammonium compound -n

  1. any of numerous strong bases and their salts derived from ammonium by replacement of the hydrogen atoms with organic radicals and important esp. as surface-active agents, disinfectants, and drugs

qua·ter·ni·on [kwə-'tər-nē-ən, kwä-] -n

  1. a set of four parts, things, or persons
  2. any of a set of numbers that comprise a four-dimensional vector space with a basis consisting of the real number 1 and three imaginary units i, j, k,that follow special rules of multiplication, and that are used esp. in computer graphics, robotics, and animation to rotate objects in three dimensions

qua·ter·ni·ty [kwə-'tər-nə-tē, kwä-] -n

  1. a union of a group or set of four

qua·train ['kwä-,trān, kwä-'] -n

  1. a unit or group of four lines of verse

qua·tre·foil ['ka-tər-,fȯi(-ə)l, 'ka-trə-] -n

  1. a conventionalized representation of a flower with four petals or of a leaf with four leaflets
  2. a 4-lobed foliation in architecture

quat·tro·cen·to [,kwä-trō-'chen-(,)tō] -n

  1. the 15th century esp. with reference to Italian literature and art

qua·ver ['kwā-vər] -vb, adv, adj

  1. tremble
  2. trill
  3. to utter sound in tremulous tones
  4. to utter quaveringly

quaver -n

  1. eighth note
  2. trill
  3. a tremulous sound

quay ['kē, 'kā, 'kwā] -n

  1. a structure built parallel to the bank of a waterway for use as a landing place

quay·age [-ij] -n

  1. a charge for use of a quay
  2. room on or for quays
  3. a system of quays

quay·side [-,sīd] -n

  1. land bordering a quay

Que -abbr

  1. Quebec

quean ['kwēn, 'kwān] -n

  1. a disreputable woman
  2. prostitute
  3. woman
  4. one that is young or unmarried

quea·sy ['kwē-zē] -adj, adv, n

  1. causing nausea
    • queasy motion
  2. suffering from nausea : nauseated
  3. full of doubt : hazardous
  4. causing uneasiness
  5. delicate, squeamish
  6. ill at ease

Que·bec [kwi-'bek also ki-]

  1. a communications code word for the letter q

Que·be·cois [,kā-bə-'kwä, -,be-] -n, adj

  1. a native or inhabitant of Quebec
  2. a French-speaking native or inhabitant of Quebec

que·bra·cho [kā-'brä-(,)chō, ki-] -n

  1. : any of several trees of southern So. America with hard wood: as
  2. a tree ( Aspidosperma quebracho) of the dogbane family which occurs chiefly in Argentina and Chile and whose dried bark is used as a respiratory sedative in dyspnea and in asthma
  3. a chiefly Argentine tree ( Schinopsis lorentzii) of the cashew family with dense wood rich in tannins
  4. the wood of a quebracho
  5. a tannin-rich extract of the Argentine quebracho used in tanning leather

Que·chua ['ke-chə-wə, 'kech-wə] -n, adj or n

  1. a family of languages spoken by Indian peoples of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina
  2. a member of an Indian people of central Peru
  3. a group of peoples forming the dominant element of the Inca Empire

queen ['kwēn] -n

  1. the wife or widow of a king
  2. the wife or widow of a tribal chief
  3. a female monarch
  4. a female chieftain
  5. a woman eminent in rank, power, or attractions
    • a movie queen
  6. a goddess or a thing personified as female and having supremacy in a specified realm
  7. an attractive girl or woman
  8. a beauty contest winner
  9. the most privileged piece of each color in a set of chessmen having the power to move in any direction across any number of unoccupied squares
  10. a playing card marked with a stylized figure of a queen
  11. the fertile fully developed female of social bees, ants, and termites whose function is to lay eggs
  12. a mature female cat kept esp. for breeding
  13. a male homosexual
  14. an effeminate one
  15. to act like a queen
  16. to put on airs usu. used with it
    • queen s it over her friends
  17. to become a queen in chess
    • the pawn queen s
  18. to promote (a pawn) to a queen in chess

Queen Anne [-'an] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of furniture originating in England under Dutch influence esp. during the first half of the 18th century that is marked by extensive use of upholstery, marquetry, and Asian fabrics
  2. of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of English building of the early 18th century characterized by modified classic ornament and the use of red brickwork in which even relief ornament is carved

Queen Anne's lace -n

  1. a widely naturalized Eurasian biennial herb ( Daucus carota) which has a whitish acrid taproot and flat lacelike clusters of tiny white flowers and from which the cultivated carrot originated called also wild carrot

queen consort -n

  1. the wife of a reigning king

queen·ly ['kwēn-lē] -adj, n, adv

  1. of, relating to, or befitting a queen
  2. having royal rank
  3. monarchical

queen mother -n

  1. a queen dowager who is mother of the reigning sovereign

queen post -n

  1. one of two vertical tie posts in a truss (as of a roof)

queen regnant -n

  1. a queen reigning in her own right

Queen's Bench -n

  1. a division of the English superior courts system that hears civil and criminal court cases used during the reign of a queen

Queen's Counsel -n

  1. a barrister selected to serve as counsel to the British crown used during the reign of a queen

queen·ship ['kwēn-,ship] -n

  1. the rank, dignity, or state of being a queen
  2. a regal quality like that of a queen

queen·side [-,sīd] -n

  1. the side of a chessboard containing the file on which the queen sits at the beginning of the game

queensize -adj

  1. having dimensions of approximately 60 by 80 inches (about 1.5 by 2.0 meters) used of a bed
  2. of a size that fits a queen-size bed
    • a queensize sheet

queen substance -n

  1. a pheromone secreted by queen bees that is consumed by worker bees and inhibits ovary development

queer ['kwir] -adj, adv, n

  1. worthless, counterfeit
    • queer money
  2. questionable, suspicious
  3. differing in some odd way from what is usual or normal
  4. eccentric, unconventional
  5. mildly insane : touched
  6. absorbed or interested to an extreme or unreasonable degree : obsessed
  7. homosexual
  8. gay
  9. not quite well
  10. to spoil the effect or success of
    • queer one's plans
  11. to put or get into an embarrassing or disadvantageous situation
  12. one that is queer
  13. homosexual

queer theory -n

  1. an approach to literary and cultural study that rejects traditional categories of gender and sexuality

quell ['kwel] -vt, n

  1. to thoroughly overwhelm and reduce to submission or passivity
    • quell a riot
  2. quiet, pacify
    • quell fears
  3. slaughter
  4. the power of quelling

quench ['kwench] -vb, adj, n

  1. put out, extinguish
  2. to put out the light or fire of
    • quench glowing coals with water
  3. to cool (as heated metal) suddenly by immersion (as in oil or water)
  4. to cause to lose heat or warmth
    • you have quench ed the warmth of France toward you -- Alfred Tennyson
  5. to bring (something immaterial) to an end typically by satisfying, damping, cooling, or decreasing
    • a rational understanding of the laws of nature can quench impossible desires -- Lucius Garvin
    • the praise that quench es all desire to read the book -- T. S. Eliot
  6. to terminate by or as if by destroying : eliminate
    • the Commonwealth party quench ed a whole generation of play-acting -- Margery Bailey
    • quench a rebellion
  7. to relieve or satisfy with liquid
    • quench ed his thirst at a wayside spring
  8. to become extinguished : cool
  9. to become calm : subside

que·nelle [kə-'nel] -n

  1. a poached oval dumpling of pureed forcemeat (as of pike) often served in a cream sauce

quer·ce·tin ['kwər-sə-tən] -n

  1. a yellow crystalline pigment C 15H 10O 7occurring usu. in the form of glycosides in various plants

quer·cit·ron ['kwər-,si-trən, ,kwər-'] -n

  1. a large timber oak ( Quercus velutina) chiefly of the eastern and central U.S.
  2. the bark of the quercitron that is rich in tannin and a dye containing quercetin
  3. the dye

que·rist ['kwir-əst, 'kwer-] -n

  1. one who inquires

quern ['kwərn] -n

  1. a primitive hand mill for grinding grain

quer·u·lous ['kwer-yə-ləs, -ə-ləs also 'kwir-] -adj, adv, n

  1. habitually complaining
  2. fretful, whining
    • a querulous voice

que·ry ['kwir-ē, 'kwer-] -n

  1. question, inquiry
  2. a question in the mind : doubt
  3. question mark

query -vt, n

  1. to ask questions of esp. with a desire for authoritative information
  2. to ask questions about esp. in order to resolve a doubt
  3. to put as a question
  4. to mark with a query

que·sa·dil·la [,kā-sə-'dē-ə also -'thē- or -'thēl-yə] -n

  1. a tortilla filled with a savory mixture, folded, and usu. fried

quest ['kwest] -n

  1. a jury of inquest
  2. investigation
  3. : an act or instance of seeking:
  4. pursuit, search
  5. a chivalrous enterprise in medieval romance usu. involving an adventurous journey
  6. a person or group of persons who search or make inquiry
  7. to search a trail
  8. bay
  9. to go on a quest
  10. to search for
  11. to ask for

ques·tion ['kwes-chən, 'kwesh-] -n

  1. an interrogative expression often used to test knowledge
  2. an interrogative sentence or clause
  3. a subject or aspect in dispute or open for discussion : issue
  4. problem, matter
  5. a subject or point of debate or a proposition to be voted on in a meeting
  6. the bringing of such to a vote
  7. the specific point at issue
  8. an act or instance of asking : inquiry
  9. interrogation
  10. a judicial or official investigation
  11. torture as part of an examination
  12. objection, dispute
    • true beyond question
  13. room for doubt or objection
    • little question of his skill
  14. chance, possibility
    • no question of escape

question -vt, n

  1. to ask a question of or about
  2. to interrogate intensively : cross-examine
  3. doubt, dispute
  4. to subject to analysis : examine
  5. to ask questions : inquire

ques·tion·able ['kwes-chə-nə-bəl, 'kwesh-, in rapid speech 'kwesh-nə-] -adj, n, adv

  1. inviting inquiry
  2. liable to judicial inquiry or action
  3. affording reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged : not certain or exact : problematic
    • milk of questionable purity
    • a questionable decision
  4. attended by well-grounded suspicions of being immoral, crude, false, or unsound : dubious
    • questionable motives

ques·tion·ary ['kwes-chə-,ner-ē, 'kwesh-] -n

  1. questionnaire

ques·tion·less ['kwes-chən-ləs, 'kwesh-] -adj

  1. indubitable, unquestionable
  2. unquestioning

question mark -n

  1. something unknown, unknowable, or uncertain
  2. someone (as an athlete) whose condition, talent, or potential for success is in doubt
  3. a mark ? used in writing and printing at the conclusion of a sentence to indicate a direct question

ques·tion·naire [,kwes-chə-'ner, ,kwesh-] -n

  1. a set of questions for obtaining statistically useful or personal information from individuals
  2. a written or printed questionnaire often with spaces for answers
  3. a survey made by the use of a questionnaire

question time -n

  1. a period in a session of a British parliamentary body during which members may put questions to ministers on matters concerning their departments

questor ['kwe-stər, 'kwē-] -n

(variant of quaestor)

  1. one of numerous ancient Roman officials concerned chiefly with financial administration

quet·zal [ket-'säl, -'sal] -n

  1. a Central American trogon ( Pharomachrus mocinno) that has brilliant green plumage above, a red breast, and in the male long upper tail coverts

Quet·zal·co·a·tl [,kwet-səl-kə-'wä-tᵊl, ,ket-, -səl-'kwä-; ket-,säl-, -,sal-] -n

  1. a chief Toltec and Aztec god identified with the wind and air and represented by a feathered serpent

queue ['kyü] -n

  1. a braid of hair usu. worn hanging at the back of the head
  2. a waiting line esp. of persons or vehicles
  3. a sequence of messages or jobs held in temporary storage awaiting transmission or processing
  4. a data structure that consists of a list of records such that records are added at one end and removed from the other
  5. to arrange or form in a queue
  6. to line up or wait in a queue often used with up

quib·ble ['kwi-bəl] -vb, n

  1. to evade the point of an argument by caviling about words
  2. cavil, carp
  3. bicker
  4. to subject to quibbles

quibble -n

  1. an evasion of or shift from the point
  2. a minor objection or criticism

quiche ['kēsh] -n

  1. an unsweetened custard pie usu. having a savory filling (as spinach, mushrooms, or ham)

quiche lor·raine [-lə-'rān, -lȯ-] -n

  1. a quiche containing cheese and bacon bits

quick ['kwik] -adj, adv, n

  1. not dead : living, alive
  2. : acting or capable of acting with speed: as
  3. fast in understanding, thinking, or learning : mentally agile
    • a quick wit
    • quick thinking
  4. reacting to stimuli with speed and keen sensitivity
  5. aroused immediately and intensely
    • quick tempers
  6. fast in development or occurrence
    • a quick succession of events
  7. done or taking place with rapidity
    • gave them a quick look
  8. marked by speed, readiness, or promptness of physical movement
    • walked with quick steps
  9. inclined to hastiness (as in action or response)
    • quick to criticize
  10. capable of being easily and speedily prepared
    • a quick and tasty dinner
  11. not stagnant : running, flowing
  12. moving, shifting
    • quick mud
  13. fiery, glowing
  14. pungent
  15. caustic
  16. pregnant
  17. having a sharp angle
    • a quick turn in the road
  18. living beings
  19. a painfully sensitive spot or area of flesh (as that underlying a fingernail or toenail)
  20. the inmost sensibilities
    • hurt to the quick by the remark
  21. the very center of something : heart
  22. life
  23. in a quick manner

quick assets -n pl

  1. cash, accounts receivable, and other current assets excluding inventories

quick bread -n

  1. bread made with a leavening agent (as baking powder or baking soda) that permits immediate baking of the dough or batter mixture

quick·en ['kwi-kən] -vb, n

  1. to make alive : revive
  2. to cause to be enlivened : stimulate
  3. kindle
  4. to cause to burn more intensely
  5. to make more rapid : hasten, accelerate
    • quicken ed her steps
  6. to make (a curve) sharper
  7. to make (a slope) steeper
  8. to quicken something
  9. to come to life
  10. to enter into a phase of active growth and development
    • seeds quicken ing in the soil
  11. to reach the stage of gestation at which fetal motion is felt
  12. to shine more brightly
    • watched the dawn quicken ing in the east
  13. to become more rapid
    • her pulse quicken ed at the sight

quick fix -n

  1. an expedient usu. temporary or inadequate solution to a problem

quickfreeze ['kwik-'frēz] -vt

  1. to freeze (food) for preservation so rapidly that ice crystals formed are too small to rupture the cells and the natural juices and flavor are preserved

quick·ie ['kwi-kē] -n

  1. : something done or made in a hurry: as
  2. a quickly and usu. cheaply produced work (as a motion picture or book)
  3. a hastily performed act of sexual intercourse

quick kick -n

  1. a punt in football esp. on first, second, or third down made from a running or passing formation and designed to take the opposing team by surprise

quick·lime ['kwik-,līm] -n

  1. lime

quick·sand ['kwik-,sand] -n

  1. sand readily yielding to pressure
  2. a deep mass of loose sand mixed with water into which heavy objects readily sink
  3. something that entraps or frustrates
    • lead poor people into consumerist quicksand -- Robert Wright

quick·set [-,set] -n

  1. plant cuttings set in the ground to grow esp. in a hedgerow
  2. a hedge or thicket esp. of hawthorn grown from quickset

quick·sil·ver [-,sil-vər] -n

  1. mercury

quicksilver -adj

  1. resembling or suggestive of quicksilver
  2. mercurial

quick·step [-,step] -n

  1. a spirited march tune usu. accompanying a march in quick time

quicktem·pered [-'tem-pərd] -adj

  1. easily angered : irascible

quick time -n

  1. a rate of marching in which 120 steps each 30 inches in length are taken in one minute

quickwit·ted ['kwik-'wi-təd] -adj, adv, n

  1. quick in perception and understanding : mentally alert

quid ['kwid] -n

  1. a pound sterling
  2. a cut or wad of something chewable

quid·di·ty ['kwi-də-tē] -n

  1. whatever makes something the type that it is : essence
  2. a trifling point : quibble
  3. crotchet, eccentricity

quid·nunc ['kwid-,nəŋk] -n

  1. a person who seeks to know all the latest news or gossip : busybody

quid pro quo [,kwid-,prō-'kwō] -n

  1. something given or received for something else
  2. a deal arranging a quid pro quo

qui·es·cence [kwī-'e-sᵊn(t)s, kwē-] -n

  1. the quality or state of being quiescent

qui·es·cent [-sᵊnt] -adj, adv

  1. marked by inactivity or repose : tranquilly at rest
  2. causing no trouble or symptoms
    • quiescent gallstones

qui·et ['kwī-ət] -n

  1. the quality or state of being quiet : tranquillity

quiet -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by little or no motion or activity : calm
    • a quiet sea
  2. gentle, easygoing
    • a quiet temperament
  3. not interfered with
    • quiet reading
  4. enjoyed in peace and relaxation
    • a quiet cup of tea
  5. free from noise or uproar : still
  6. unobtrusive, conservative
    • quiet clothes
  7. secluded
    • a quiet nook
  8. in a quiet manner
    • an engine that runs quiet
  9. to cause to be quiet : calm
  10. to make secure by freeing from dispute or question
    • quiet title to a property
  11. to become quiet usu. used with down

qui·et·en ['kwī-ə-tən] -vb

  1. quiet

qui·et·ism ['kwī-ə-,ti-zəm] -n, adj or n, adj

  1. a system of religious mysticism teaching that perfection and spiritual peace are attained by annihilation of the will and passive absorption in contemplation of God and divine things
  2. a passive withdrawn attitude or policy toward the world or worldly affairs
  3. a state of calmness or passivity

qui·etude ['kwī-ə-,tüd, -,tyüd] -n

  1. a quiet state : repose

qui·etus [kwī-'ē-təs, -'ā-] -n

  1. final settlement (as of a debt)
  2. removal from activity
  3. death
  4. something that quiets or represses
    • put the quietus on their celebration

quiff ['kwif] -n

  1. a prominent forelock

quill ['kwil] -n

  1. a bobbin, spool, or spindle on which filling yarn is wound
  2. a hollow shaft often surrounding another shaft and used in various mechanical devices
  3. a roll of dried bark
    • cinnamon quill s
  4. the hollow horny shaft of a feather
  5. feather
  6. one of the large stiff feathers of the wing or tail
  7. one of the hollow sharp spines of a porcupine or hedgehog
  8. pen
  9. something made from or resembling the quill of a feather
  10. a pen for writing
  11. a float for a fishing line
  12. to pierce with quills
  13. to wind (thread or yarn) on a quill
  14. to make a series of small rounded ridges in (cloth)

quill·back ['kwil-,bak] -n

  1. any of several suckers
  2. a small fish ( Carpiodes cyprinus) of central and eastern No. America with a much elongated first ray of the dorsal fin

quill·work [-,wərk] -n

  1. ornamental work in porcupine or bird quills

quilt ['kwilt] -n

  1. a bed coverlet of two layers of cloth filled with padding (as down or batting) held in place by ties or stitched designs
  2. patchwork quilt
  3. something that is quilted or resembles a quilt
    • a quilt of houses and parks
  4. to fill, pad, or line like a quilt
  5. to stitch, sew, or cover with lines or patterns like those used in quilts
  6. to stitch (designs) through layers of cloth
  7. to fasten between two pieces of material
  8. to stitch or sew in layers with padding in between
  9. to make quilts
  10. to do quilted work

quilt·ing ['kwil-tiŋ] -n

  1. material that is quilted or used for making quilts
  2. the process of quilting

quin·a·crine ['kwi-nə-,krēn] -n

  1. an antimalarial drug derived from acridine and used esp. in the form of its dihydrochloride C 23H 30ClN 3O2HCl2H 2O

quince ['kwin(t)s] -n

  1. the fruit of a central Asian tree ( Cydonia oblonga) of the rose family that resembles a hard-fleshed yellow apple and is used esp. in preserves
  2. a tree that bears quinces

quin·cen·te·na·ry [,kwin-sen-'te-nə-rē, -'sen-tə-,ner-ē, esp Brit -sen-'tē-nə-rē] -n, adj

  1. a 500th anniversary or its celebration

quin·centen·ni·al [-sen-'te-nē-əl] -n, adj

  1. quincentenary

quin·cunx ['kwin-,kəŋ(k)s] -n, adj

  1. an arrangement of five things in a square or rectangle with one at each corner and one in the middle

quin·i·dine ['kwi-nə-,dēn] -n

  1. an alkaloid C 20H 24N 2O 2that is stereoisomeric with quinine and is used in the form of its sulfate or gluconate to treat cardiac rhythm irregularities

qui·nie·la [kwin-'ye-lə] -n

  1. a bet in which the bettor picks the first and second place finishers but need not designate their order of finish in order to win

qui·nine ['kwī-,nīn also 'kwi- or kwi-'nīn or ki-'nēn or kwi-'nēn] -n

  1. a bitter crystalline alkaloid C 20H 24N 2O 2from cinchona bark used in medicine
  2. a salt of quinine used esp. as an antipyretic, antimalarial, and bitter tonic

quinine water -n

  1. tonic water

qui·noa ['kēn-,wä, kē-'nō-ə] -n

  1. an annual herb ( Chenopodium quinoa) of the goosefoot family that is native to the Andean highlands and is cultivated for its starchy seeds which are used as food and ground into flour
  2. its seeds

quin·o·line ['kwi-nə-,lēn] -n

  1. a pungent oily nitrogenous base C 9H 7N obtained usu. by distillation of coal tar or by synthesis from aniline that is the parent compound of many alkaloids, drugs, and dyes
  2. a derivative of quinoline

quin·o·lone ['kwi-nə-,lōn] -n

  1. any of a class of synthetic antibacterial drugs that are derivatives of hydroxylated quinolines and inhibit the replication of bacterial DNA

qui·none [kwi-'nōn, 'kwi-,] -n

  1. either of two isomeric cyclic crystalline compounds C 6H 4O 2that are derivatives of benzene
  2. any of various usu. yellow, orange, or red quinonoid compounds including several that are biologically important as coenzymes, hydrogen acceptors, or vitamins

qui·no·noid [kwi-'nō-,nȯid, 'kwi-nə-] -adj

  1. resembling quinone esp. in having a 6-membered carbon ring containing two double bonds

quin·quen·ni·al [kwin-'kwe-nē-əl, kwiŋ-] -adj, n, adv

  1. consisting of or lasting for five years
  2. occurring or being done every five years

quin·quen·ni·um [-nē-əm] -n

  1. a period of five years

quin·sy ['kwin-zē] -n

  1. an abscess in the tissue around a tonsil usu. resulting from bacterial infection and often accompanied by pain and fever

quint ['kwint] -n

  1. quintuplet

quin·ta ['kin-tə, 'kēn-] -n

  1. a country villa or estate esp. in Portugal or Latin America

quin·tain ['kwin-tᵊn] -n

  1. an object to be tilted at
  2. a post with a revolving crosspiece that has a target at one end and a sandbag at the other end

quin·tal ['kwin-tᵊl, 'kan-] -n

  1. hundredweight
  2. a unit of weight equal to 100 kilograms (about 220 pounds)

quin·tes·sence [kwin-'te-sᵊn(t)s] -n, adj, adv

  1. the fifth and highest element in ancient and medieval philosophy that permeates all nature and is the substance composing the celestial bodies
  2. the essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form
  3. the most typical example or representative
    • the quintessence of calm

quin·tet [kwin-'tet] -n

  1. a musical composition or movement for five instruments or voices
  2. : a group or set of five: as
  3. the performers of a quintet
  4. a basketball team

quin·tic ['kwin-tik] -adj

  1. of the fifth degree

quintic -n

  1. a polynomial or a polynomial equation of the fifth degree

quin·tile ['kwin-,tī(-ə)l] -n

  1. any of the four values that divide the items of a frequency distribution into five classes with each containing one fifth of the total population
  2. any one of the five classes

quin·tu·ple [kwin-'tü-pəl, -'tyü-, -'tə-; 'kwin-tə-] -adj, n

  1. being five times as great or as many
  2. having five units or members
  3. marked by five beats per measure
    • quintuple meter

quintuple [-p(ə-)liŋ] -vb

  1. to make five times as great or as many
  2. to become five times as much or as numerous

quin·tu·plet [kwin-'tə-plət, -'tü-, -'tyü-; 'kwin-tə-] -n

  1. a combination of five of a kind
  2. one of five offspring born at one birth

quin·tu·pli·cate [kwin-'tü-pli-kət, -'tyü-] -adj

  1. consisting of or existing in five corresponding or identical parts or examples
    • quintuplicate invoices
  2. being the fifth of five things exactly alike
    • file the quintuplicate copy

quintuplicate -n

  1. one of five things exactly alike
  2. one of five identical copies
  3. five copies all alike used with in
    • typed in quintuplicate

quin·tu·pli·cate [-plə-,kāt] -vt

  1. to make quintuple or fivefold
  2. to prepare in quintuplicate

quip ['kwip] -n, adj

  1. a clever usu. taunting remark : gibe
  2. a witty or funny observation or response usu. made on the spur of the moment
  3. quibble, equivocation
  4. something strange, droll, curious, or eccentric : oddity
  5. to make quips : gibe
  6. to jest or gibe at

quip·ster ['kwip-stər] -n

  1. one who is given to quipping

qui·pu ['kē-(,)pü] -n

  1. a device made of a main cord with smaller varicolored cords attached and knotted and used by the ancient Peruvians (as for calculating)

quire ['kwī(-ə)r] -n

  1. a collection of 24 or sometimes 25 sheets of paper of the same size and quality : one twentieth of a ream

quire ['kwī(-ə)r] -n

(variant of choir)

  1. an organized company of singers (as in a church service)
  2. a group of instruments of the same class
    • a brass choir
  3. an organized group of persons or things
  4. a division of angels
  5. the part of a church occupied by the singers or by the clergy
  6. the part of a church where the services are performed
  7. a group organized for ensemble speaking
  8. to sing or sound in chorus or concert

Qui·ri·nus [kwə-'rī-nəs, -'rē-] -n

  1. an early state god of the Romans later identified with Romulus

quirk ['kwərk] -n, adv, adj

  1. an abrupt twist or curve
  2. a peculiar trait : idiosyncrasy
  3. accident, vagary
    • a quirk of fate
  4. a groove separating a bead or other molding from adjoining members
  5. curve, twist
    • quirk ed his eyebrows

quirt ['kwərt] -n

  1. a riding whip with a short handle and a rawhide lash
  2. to strike or drive with a quirt

quis·ling ['kwiz-liŋ] -n

  1. traitor , collaborator

quit ['kwit] -adj

  1. released from obligation, charge, or penalty
  2. free
  3. to make full payment of : pay up
    • quit a debt
  4. to set free : relieve, release
    • quit oneself of fear
  5. conduct, acquit
    • the youths quit themselves like men
  6. to depart from or out of
  7. to leave the company of
  8. give up
    • quit a job
  9. give up
    • quit smoking
  10. to cease normal, expected, or necessary action
    • the engine quit
  11. to give up employment
  12. to admit defeat : give up
  13. the act or an instance of quitting a job

quitch ['kwich] -n

  1. quack grass

quit·claim ['kwit-,klām] -vt, n

  1. to release or relinquish a legal claim to
  2. to release a claim to or convey by a quitclaim deed

quitclaim deed -n

  1. a legal instrument used to release one person's right, title, or interest to another without providing a guarantee or warranty of title

quite ['kwīt] -adv

  1. wholly, completely
    • not quite finished
  2. to an extreme : positively
    • quite sure
    often used as an intensifier with a
    • quite a swell guy
    • quite a beauty
  3. to a considerable extent : rather
    • quite near

quit·rent ['kwit-,rent] -n

  1. a fixed rent payable to a feudal superior in commutation of services
  2. a fixed rent due from a socage tenant

quits ['kwits] -adj

  1. being on even terms by repayment or requital

quit·tance ['kwi-tᵊn(t)s] -n

  1. discharge from a debt or an obligation
  2. a document evidencing quittance
  3. recompense, requital

quit·ter ['kwi-tər] -n

  1. one that quits
  2. one that gives up too easily : defeatist

quit·tor ['kwi-tər] -n

  1. a purulent inflammation of the feet esp. of horses and donkeys

quiv·er ['kwi-vər] -n

  1. a case for carrying or holding arrows
  2. the arrows in a quiver

quiver ['kwi-və-riŋ, 'kwiv-riŋ] -vi, adv

  1. to shake or move with a slight trembling motion
  2. the act or action of quivering : tremor

qui vive [kē-'vēv] -n

  1. alert, lookout used in the phrase on the qui vive

qui·xote ['kwik-sət, kē-'hō-tē, -'ō-] -n

  1. a quixotic person

quix·ot·ic [kwik-'sä-tik] -adj, adv

  1. foolishly impractical esp. in the pursuit of ideals
  2. marked by rash lofty romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action
  3. capricious, unpredictable

quiz ['kwiz] -n

  1. an eccentric person
  2. practical joke
  3. the act or action of quizzing
  4. a short oral or written test
  5. to make fun of : mock
  6. to look at inquisitively
  7. to question closely

quiz·mas·ter ['kwiz-,mas-tər] -n

  1. one who puts the questions to contestants in a quiz show

quiz show -n

  1. an entertainment program (as on radio or television) in which contestants answer questions called also quiz program

quiz·zi·cal ['kwi-zi-kəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. comically quaint
    • a quizzical old man
  2. mildly teasing or mocking
    • a quizzical remark
  3. expressive of puzzlement, curiosity, or disbelief
    • raised a quizzical eyebrow

quod ['kwäd] -n

  1. prison

quod·li·bet ['kwäd-lə-,bet] -n

  1. a philosophical or theological point proposed for disputation
  2. a disputation on such a point
  3. a whimsical combination of familiar melodies or texts

quoin ['kȯin, 'kwȯin] -n

  1. a solid exterior angle (as of a building)
  2. one of the members (as a block) forming a quoin and usu. differentiated from the adjoining walls by material, texture, color, size, or projection
  3. the keystone or a voussoir of an arch
  4. a wooden or expandable metal block used by printers to lock up a form within a chase
  5. to equip (a type form) with quoins
  6. to provide with quoins
    • quoin ed walls

quoit ['kȯit, 'kwȯit, 'kwāt] -n

  1. a flattened ring of iron or circle of rope used in a throwing game
  2. a game in which the quoits are thrown at an upright pin in an attempt to ring the pin or come as near to it as possible
  3. to throw like a quoit

quok·ka ['kwä-kə] -n

  1. a stocky herbivorous marsupial ( Setonix brachyurusof the family Macropodidae) of southwestern Australia that has a short tail

quoll ['kwäl] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Dasyurus) of small spotted carnivorous marsupials of Australia and New Guinea

quon·dam ['kwän-dəm, -,dam] -adj

  1. former, sometime
    • a quondam friend

Quon·set ['kwän(t)-sət, 'kwän-zət] -trademark

  1. used for a prefabricated shelter having a semicircular arching roof of corrugated metal

quo·rum ['kwȯr-əm] -n

  1. a select group
  2. the number (as a majority) of officers or members of a body that when duly assembled is legally competent to transact business
  3. a Mormon body comprising those in the same grade of priesthood

quot -abbr

  1. quotation

quo·ta ['kwō-tə] -n

  1. a proportional part or share
  2. the share or proportion assigned to each in a division or to each member of a body
  3. the number or amount constituting a proportional share
  4. a fixed number or percentage of minority group members or women needed to meet the requirements of affirmative action

quot·able ['kwō-tə-bəl also 'kō-] -adj, n

  1. fit for or worth quoting

quo·ta·tion [kwō-'tā-shən also kō-] -n

  1. something that is quoted
  2. a passage referred to, repeated, or adduced
  3. the act or process of quoting
  4. the naming or publishing of current bids and offers or prices of securities or commodities
  5. the bids, offers, or prices so named or published
  6. the highest bid and lowest offer for a particular security in a given market at a given time

quotation mark -n

  1. one of a pair of punctuation marks or used chiefly to indicate the beginning and the end of a quotation in which the exact phraseology of another or of a text is directly cited

quo·ta·tive ['kwō-tə-tiv] -n, adj

  1. a function word used in informal contexts to introduce a quotation
    • like is a quotative in He was like, Oh, no! not again!

quote ['kwōt also 'kōt] -vb, n

  1. to speak or write (a passage) from another usu. with credit acknowledgment
  2. to repeat a passage from esp. in substantiation or illustration
  3. borrow
    • quoting the motifs of past artists
  4. to cite in illustration
    • quote a similar case
  5. to state (the current price or bid-offer spread) for a commodity, stock, or bond
  6. to give exact information on
  7. to set off by quotation marks
  8. to inform a hearer or reader that matter following is quoted
  9. quotation
  10. quotation mark often used orally to indicate the beginning of a direct quotation

quoth ['kwōth also 'kōth] -vb past

  1. said used chiefly in the first and third persons with a postpositive subject

quotha ['kwō-thə] -interj

  1. used esp. to express surprise or contempt

quo·tid·i·an [kwō-'ti-dē-ən] -adj, n

  1. occurring every day
    • quotidian fever
  2. belonging to each day : everyday
    • quotidian routine
  3. commonplace, ordinary
    • quotidian drabness

quo·tient ['kwō-shənt] -n

  1. the number resulting from the division of one number by another
  2. the numerical ratio usu. multiplied by 100 between a test score and a standard value
  3. quota, share
  4. the magnitude of a specified characteristic or quality
    • the celebrity's likability quotient is high

quotient group -n

  1. a group whose elements are the cosets of a normal subgroup of a given group called also factor group

quotient ring -n

  1. a ring whose elements are the cosets of an ideal in a given ring

quo war·ran·to [,kwō-wə-'rän-(,)tō, -'ran-; -'wȯr-ən-,tō, -'wär-] -n

  1. an English writ formerly requiring a person to show by what authority he exercises a public office, franchise, or liberty
  2. a legal proceeding for a like purpose begun by an information
  3. the legal action begun by a quo warranto