quire

Pluralquires

Formsquires, quiring, quired

1. 1
   nouncountable

   A group of 24 or 25 sheets of paper that are all the same size and quality.

   Like a pack of paper that always holds the same set number of sheets.

   The shop sold her a quire of thick drawing paper.

   He counted out several quires for the big print job.

   Note
2. 2
   nouncountable

   A group of folded sheets stitched together to form part of a book.

   Like a small booklet of folded pages that joins with others to make a whole book.

   The binder folded each quire before sewing it into the book.

   Old manuscripts were built from many quires bound together.

   Similargathering, signature

   Note
3. 3
   verbtransitive

   To stitch folded sheets of paper together to make parts of a book.

   Like sewing folded papers together into a little booklet.

   The students learned to quire the pages before binding the book.

   He will quire the loose sheets tomorrow morning.

   Note
4. 4
   nouncountable

   The part of a church near the front where the singers sit.

   The singers gathered in the quire to rehearse.

   Carved wooden seats lined the quire of the old cathedral.

   Similarchoir, chancel

   Note
5. 5
   nouncountable

   A short book, poem, or printed pamphlet.

   Like a thin booklet you can hold in one hand.

   She published her poems as a small quire.

   He carried a worn quire of verse in his pocket.

6. 6
   verbliterary

   Alternative form of choir. A poetic way to say singing together.

   I saw the 'potamus take wing / Ascending from the damp savannas, / And quiring angels round him sing / The praise of God, in loud hosannas.

   1920, T. S. Eliot, “Hippopotamus”

   He went on down the hill, toward the dark woods within which the liquid silver voices of the birds called unceasing-the rapid and urgent beating of the urgent and quiring heart of the late spring night.

   1938, William Faulkner, Barn Burning

   Note

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