# quarter

Pronunciation: US say "KWOR-tur" /ˈk(w)ɔɹ.tɚ/; UK say "KWOR-tuh" /ˈk(w)ɔː.tə/

## Noun

1. A fourth part of something; any one of the four equal portions that make up a whole.
   - Simple: One of four equal parts of something.
   - _She divided the inheritance so each child received a quarter._
   - _Nearly a quarter of the building was destroyed in the fire._
2. A fourth part of the year, three months long, treated especially as a business term or season.
   - Simple: A period of three months, often used by businesses to measure their results.
   - _Profits rose sharply in the second quarter._
   - _Analysts expect stronger earnings over the coming quarters._
3. Any of the four equal segments of playing time in a game.
   - Simple: One of the four equal time periods that make up a game.
   - _The home team dominated the third quarter._
   - _Both quarters before halftime were scoreless._
4. A 25-cent coin minted in the United States or Canada; one fourth of a dollar. *(Canada, US)*
   - Simple: A coin worth 25 cents in the United States or Canada.
   - _He fed a quarter into the vending machine for a soda._
   - _The cashier handed back three quarters in change._
5. A division or section of a town or city, especially one with a distinct character of its own or associated with a particular group.
   - Simple: A part of a town or city, often with its own special character.
   - _The historic quarter draws thousands of tourists each summer._
   - _Immigrant families settled in the city's eastern quarters._
6. One of the matches in a knockout competition whose winners advance to the semifinals.
   - Simple: One of the four matches that decides who moves on to the semifinals.
   - _Her quarter against the top seed lasted nearly four hours._
   - _Both quarters were played on the same afternoon._
7. A person's residence or dwelling; in the plural, the rooms or lodgings provided especially to soldiers or domestic staff.
   - Simple: The place where someone lives, or the rooms given to soldiers or staff.
   - _Visiting diplomats were shown to their quarters in the east wing._
   - _The sergeant and his family moved into a married quarter on the base._
8. A fifteen-minute span, one fourth of an hour, used especially in telling the time to or past the hour.
   - Simple: A period of fifteen minutes, often used when telling the time before or after the hour.
   - _The meeting started at a quarter to nine._
   - _She practiced for three quarters of an hour before dinner._
11. A sector of a population or group, typically one defined by shared values or interests.
   - Simple: A part of a group of people, especially one with its own beliefs or interests.
   - _The reforms met fierce resistance from conservative quarters._
   - _Her appointment was praised in every quarter of the profession._
12. A particular region, place, or direction, especially one of the four main points of the compass or the area of earth or sky lying toward it.
   - Simple: A place, area, or direction something comes from, such as north, south, east, or west.
   - _The hikers heard thunder rumbling from a quarter they couldn't quite place._
   - _Visitors came from every quarter of the globe to watch the eclipse._
15. A weight equal to one fourth of a pound, roughly 113 grams.
   - Simple: A weight equal to a fourth of a pound, about 113 grams.
   - _The shop sold him a quarter of loose tea._
   - _He weighed out a quarter of nuts for the recipe._
16. Mercy granted to a defeated opponent; the sparing of their life rather than killing them.
   - Simple: Mercy shown to a beaten enemy by letting them live.
   - _The commander refused to grant quarter to the rebels._
   - _Knowing no quarter would be offered, the garrison fought to the last._
19. One of the four divisions of a quartered shield, or the arms displayed in one; also, a square charge occupying the shield's upper dexter corner.
   - Simple: In a coat of arms, one of four sections of the shield, usually in a top corner.
   - _In the first quarter of the family's coat of arms, three red roses sit on a white field._
   - _A red quarter bearing three stars marked the family's senior line._
21. The rear portion of a ship's side, running roughly from the aftmost mast to the stern.
   - Simple: The back part of a ship's side, between the last mast and the stern.
   - _The enemy frigate appeared off the starboard quarter at dawn._
   - _Green water came aboard over the port quarter during the gale._
22. In military use, the quartermaster or quartermaster sergeant, responsible for supplies, equipment, and lodging. *(slang)*
   - Simple: In the army, the soldier in charge of supplies and living space for the troops.

## Adjective

9. Relating to a three-month period, or to one of the four divisions of a year.
   - Simple: Happening every three months, or covering a three-month part of the year.
   - _Farm rents in England were once paid on quarter days such as Lady Day._
   - _Rent and wages were once settled on the four quarter days of the year._
10. Consisting of or relating to a fourth part of something; amounting to one quarter.
   - Simple: Being one fourth of something, as in a quarter teaspoon or a quarter share.
   - _The recipe calls for a quarter teaspoon of salt._
   - _They jogged the final quarter mile to the finish line._

## Verb

14. To divide something into quarters; to split it by four.
   - Simple: To cut or split something into four equal parts.
   - _She quartered the orange and shared it around._
   - _Cooks often quarter the chicken before roasting._
17. To provide lodging for someone, especially soldiers, or to be lodged or stay somewhere temporarily.
   - Simple: To give people, especially soldiers, a place to stay, or to stay somewhere for a while.
   - _The army quartered its officers in the old manor house._
   - _Local families were ordered to quarter passing regiments._
18. To cut the body of a condemned person into four parts as part of an execution, usually after hanging.
   - Simple: To cut the body of a person put to death into four pieces, as a punishment.
   - _The court condemned the conspirator and ordered the executioner to quarter him at dawn._
   - _Traitors were once hanged and then quartered in front of a crowd._
20. To display different coats of arms together in the divided sections of one shield.
   - Simple: To show more than one family's coat of arms in the sections of a single shield.
   - _The duke decided to quarter his wife's arms with his own._
   - _Heralds quartered the two houses' emblems after the marriage._
13. To travel back and forth across an area, passing from one point to the next.
   - Simple: To move back and forth across a place, going from one spot to another.
   - _Rescue volunteers quarter the woods in pairs, crossing and recrossing every slope._
   - _The spaniel quartered the field ahead of the hunters, nose close to the ground._

## Noun

23. In American football, the player who directs the offense and typically throws the passes; a quarterback. *(rare)*
   - Simple: In American football, the player who leads the team's attack and passes the ball.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A unit of capacity used mainly for grain or coal, its size varying greatly by period and region.
- (noun) A unit of length equal to one fourth of a yard, originally one fourth of an ell.
- (noun) A unit of weight equal to one fourth of a hundredweight, roughly 28 pounds.
- (noun) One of the four divisions or watches into which the night was formerly split.
- (noun) Either side of a horse's hoof, the region lying between the toe and the heel.
- (noun) A land measure equal to one fourth of an acre, the same as a rood.
- (noun) A subject or field of activity.
- (noun) The way people get along with and treat one another.
- (verb) To saw a log into quarters lengthwise and then cut boards across the growth rings, which gives a straight, stable grain.
- (verb) To guide a horse-drawn coach along a rutted road so that its wheels ride on the ridges, keeping clear of the grooves or straddling one.

## Origin

The word passed from Latin quartarius (from quartus) through Anglo-Norman quarter into Middle English quarter. It is related to Spanish cuarto and is a doublet of quartier.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/quarter (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).