Quid Quid transitive verb (Man.) To drop from the mouth, as food when partially chewed; -- said of horses. Youatt.
Quid Quid noun [ Etym. uncertain.]
An English coin, a sovereign. [ Slang, Eng.]
They invited him to come to-morrow, . . . and bring half a quid with him.
Charles Reade.
Quidam Qui"dam noun [ Latin ]
Somebody; one unknown. Spenser.
Quiddany Quid"da·ny noun [ Latin
cydoneum quince juice, quince wine. See
Quince .]
A confection of quinces, in consistency between a sirup and marmalade.
Quiddative Quid"da·tive adjective [ See
Quiddity .]
Constituting, or containing, the essence of a thing; quidditative.
Quiddit Quid"dit noun [ Confer
Quiddity ,
Quillet , and
Quibble .]
A subtilty; an equivocation. [ Obsolete]
Shak. By some strange quiddit or some wrested clause.
Drayton.
Quidditative Quid"di·ta·tive adjective Quiddative.
Quiddity Quid"di·ty noun ;
plural Quiddities . [ Late Latin
quidditas , from Latin
quid what, neut. of
quis who, akin to English
who : confer French
quiddité .]
1. The essence, nature, or distinctive peculiarity, of a thing; that which answers the question, Quid est ? or, What is it? " The degree of nullity and
quiddity ."
Bacon. The quiddity or characteristic difference of poetry as distinguished from prose.
De Quincey. 2. A trifling nicety; a cavil; a quibble. We laugh at the quiddities of those writers now.
Coleridge.
Quiddle Quid"dle intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Quiddled ;
present participle & verbal noun Quiddling .] [ Latin
quid what.]
To spend time in trifling employments, or to attend to useful subjects in an indifferent or superficial manner; to dawdle.
Quiddle, Quiddler Quid"dle, Quid"dler noun One who wastes his energy about trifles. Emerson.
Quidnunc Quid"nunc noun [ Latin , what now?]
One who is curious to know everything that passes; one who knows, or pretends to know, all that is going on. "The idle stories of
quidnuncs ."
Motley.
Quiesce Qui·esce" intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Quiesced ;
present participle & verbal noun Quiescing .] [ Latin
quiescere , akin to
quies rest, quiet. See
Quiet ,
adjective & noun ]
To be silent, as a letter; to have no sound. M. Stuart.
Quiescence, Quiescency Qui·es"cence, Qui·es"cen·cy noun [ Latin
quiescentia , from
quiescens , present participle; confer French
quiestence . See
Quiesce .]
The state or quality of being quiescent. "
Quiescence , bodily and mental."
H. Spencer. Deeds will be done; -- while be boasts his quiescence .
R. Browning.
Quiescent Qui·es"cent adjective [ Latin
quiescens ,
-entis , present participle of
quiescere : confer French
quiescent . See
Quiesce .]
1. Being in a state of repose; at rest; still; not moving; as, a quiescent body or fluid. 2. Not ruffed with passion; unagitated; not in action; not excited; quiet; dormant; resting. In times of national security, the feeling of patriotism . . . is so quiescent that it seems hardly to exist.
Prof. Wilson. 3. (Gram.) Not sounded; silent; as, y is quiescent in " day " and " say ."
Quiescent Qui·es"cent noun (Gram.) A silent letter. M. Stuart.
Quiescently Qui·es"cent·ly adverb In a quiescent manner.
Quiet Qui"et adjective [
Compar. Quieter ;
superl. Quietest .] [ Latin
quietus , past participle pf
quiescere to rest, keep quiet; akin to
quies rest, and probably to English
while , noun See
While , and confer
Coy ,
adjective ,
Quiesce ,
Quietus ,
Quit ,
adjective ,
Quite ,
Requiem .]
1. In a state of rest or calm; without stir, motion, or agitation; still; as, a quiet sea; quiet air. They . . . were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him.
Judg. xvi. 2. 2. Free from noise or disturbance; hushed; still. 3. Not excited or anxious; calm; peaceful; placid; settled; as, a quiet life; a quiet conscience. " So
quiet and so sweet a style."
Shak. That son, who on the quiet state of man
Such trouble brought.
Milton. 4. Not giving offense; not exciting disorder or trouble; not turbulent; gentle; mild; meek; contented. The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit.
1 Pet. iii. 4. I will sit as quiet as a lamb.
Shak. 5. Not showy; not such as to attract attention; undemonstrative; as, a quiet dress; quiet colors; a quiet movement. Syn. -- Still; tranquil; calm; unruffled; smooth; unmolested; undisturbed; placid; peaceful; mild; peaceable; meek; contented.
Quiet Qui"et noun [ Latin
quies ,
- etis . See
Quiet ,
adjective ]
1. The quality or state of being quiet, or in repose; as an hour or a time of quiet . 2. Freedom from disturbance, noise, or alarm; stillness; tranquillity; peace; security. And join with thee, calm Peace and Quiet .
Milton. At quiet ,
still; peaceful. --
In quiet ,
quietly. " I will depart
in quiet ."
Shak. --
Out of quiet ,
disturbed; restless. [ Obsolete] "She is much
out of quiet ."
Shak.
Quiet Qui"et transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Quieted ;
present participle & verbal noun Quieting .]
1. To stop motion in; to still; to reduce to a state of rest, or of silence. 2. To calm; to appease; to pacify; to lull; to allay; to tranquillize; as, to quiet the passions; to quiet clamors or disorders; to quiet pain or grief. Quiet yourselves, I pray, and be at peace.
Shak.
Quiet Qui"et intransitive verb To become still, silent, or calm; -- often with down ; as, be soon quieted down.
Quietage Qui"et·age noun Quietness. [ Obsolete]
Spenser.
Quieter Qui"et·er noun One who, or that which, quiets.
Quietism Qui"et·ism noun [ Confer French
quiétisme .]
1. Peace or tranquillity of mind; calmness; indifference; apathy; dispassion; indisturbance; inaction. 2. (Eccl. Hist.) The system of the Quietists, who maintained that religion consists in the withdrawal of the mind from worldly interests and anxieties and its constant employment in the passive contemplation of God and his attributes.
Quietist Qui"et·ist noun [ Confer French
quiétiste .]
(Eccl. Hist.) One of a sect of mystics originated in the seventeenth century by Molinos, a Spanish priest living in Rome. See Quietism .
Quietistic Qui`et·is"tic adjective Of or pertaining to the Quietists, or to Quietism.
Quietly Qui"et·ly adverb 1. In a quiet state or manner; without motion; in a state of rest; as, to lie or sit quietly . 2. Without tumult, alarm, dispute, or disturbance; peaceably; as, to live quietly ; to sleep quietly . 3. Calmly, without agitation or violent emotion; patiently; as, to submit quietly to unavoidable evils. 4. Noiselessly; silently; without remark or violent movement; in a manner to attract little or no observation; as, he quietly left the room.
Quietness Qui"et·ness noun The quality or state of being quiet; freedom from noise, agitation, disturbance, or excitement; stillness; tranquillity; calmness. I would have peace and quietness .
Shak.
Quietsome Qui"et·some adjective Calm; still. [ Obsolete]
Spenser.
Quietude Qui"e·tude noun [ Latin
quietudo : confer French
quiétude .]
Rest; repose; quiet; tranquillity. Shelley.
Quietus Qui·e"tus noun [ Late Latin
quietus quit, discharged, Latin , at rest, quiet, dead. See
Quiet ,
adjective , and confer
Quit ,
adjective ]
Final discharge or acquittance, as from debt or obligation; that which silences claims; (Fig.) rest; death. When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin.
Shak.
Quill Quill noun [ Perhaps from French
quille ninepin (see
Kayless ); but confer also German
kiel a quill. Middle High German
kil , and Ir.
cuille a quill.]
1. One of the large feathers of a bird's wing, or one of the rectrices of the tail; also, the stock of such a feather. 2. A pen for writing made by sharpening and splitting the point or nib of the stock of a feather; as, history is the proper subject of his quill . Sir H. Wotton. 3. (Zoology) (a) A spine of the hedgehog or porcupine. (b) The pen of a squid. See Pen . 4. (Mus.) (a) The plectrum with which musicians strike the strings of certain instruments. (b) The tube of a musical instrument. He touched the tender stops of various quills .
Milton. 5. Something having the form of a quill ; as:
(a) The fold or plain of a ruff. (b) (Weaving) A spindle, or spool, as of reed or wood, upon which the thread for the woof is wound in a shuttle. (c) (Machinery) A hollow spindle. Quill bit ,
a bit for boring resembling the half of a reed split lengthways and having its end sharpened like a gouge. --
Quill driver ,
one who works with a pen; a writer; a clerk. [ Jocose] --
Quill nib ,
a small quill pen made to be used with a holder. Simmonds.
Quill Quill transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Quilled ;
present participle & verbal noun Quilling .]
1. To plaint in small cylindrical ridges, called quillings; as, to quill a ruffle. His cravat seemed quilled into a ruff.
Goldsmith. 2. To wind on a quill, as thread or yarn. Judd.
Quill Quill noun (Pharm.) A roll of dried bark; as, a quill of cinnamon or of cinchona.
Quillaia bark Quil·la"ia bark` (Botany) The bark of a rosaceous tree ( Quillaja Saponaria ), native of Chili. The bark is finely laminated, and very heavy with alkaline substances, and is used commonly by the Chilians instead of soap. Also called soap bark .
Quillback Quill"back` noun (Zoology) An American fresh-water fish ( Ictiobus, or Carpiodes, cyprinus ); -- called also carp sucker , sailfish , spearfish , and skimback .
Quilled Quilled adjective Furnished with quills; also, shaped like quills. "A sharp-
quilled porcupine."
Shak. Quilled suture (Surg.) ,
a variety of stitch in which the threads after being passed deeply through the edges of a wound are secured about two quills or bodies of similar shape, in order to produce a suitable degree of pressure.
Quillet Quil"let noun [ Latin
quidlibet what you please. Confer
Quiddit , and
Quibble .]
Subtilty; nicety; quibble. "Nice, sharp
quillets of the law."
Shak.
Quilling Quill"ing noun (a) A band of linen, muslin, or the like, fluted, folded, or plaited so as somewhat to resemble a row of quills. (b) One of the rounded plaits or flutings of such a band.
Quillwort Quill"wort` noun (Botany) Any plant or species of the genus Isoetes , cryptogamous plants with a cluster of elongated four-tubed rushlike leaves, rising from a corm, and containing spores in their enlarged and excavated bases. There are about seventeen American species, usually growing in the mud under still, shallow water. So called from the shape of the shape of the leaves.
Quilt Quilt noun [ Middle English
quilte , Old French
cuilte , Latin
culcita ... bed, cushion, mattress. Confer 2d
Counterpoint ,
Cushion .]
Anything that is quilted; esp., a quilted bed cover, or a skirt worn by women; any cover or garment made by putting wool, cotton, etc., between two cloths and stitching them together; also, any outer bed cover. The beds were covered with magnificent quilts .
Arbuthnot.
Quilt Quilt transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Quilted ;
present participle & verbal noun Quilting .]
1. To stitch or sew together at frequent intervals, in order to confine in place the several layers of cloth and wadding of which a garment, comforter, etc., may be made; as, to quilt a coat. Dryden. 2. To wad, as a garment, with warm soft material. 3. To stitch or sew in lines or patterns.
Quilter Quilt"er noun One who, or that which, quilts.
Quilting Quilt"ing noun 1. The act of stitching or running in patterns, as in making a quilt. 2. A quilting bee. See Bee , 2. 3. The material used for making quilts. 4. (Nautical) A coating of strands of rope for a water vessel.
Quin Quin noun (Zoology) A European scallop ( Pecten opercularis ), used as food. [ Prov. Eng.]
Quinaldine Quin·al"dine noun [
Quin oline +
alde hyde + anil
ine .]
(Chemistry) A colorless liquid of a slightly pungent odor, C 9 H 6 N.CH 3 , first obtained as a condensation product of aldehyde and aniline, and regarded as a derivative of quinoline; -- called also methyl quinoline . [ Written also
chinaldine .]
Quinary Qui"na·ry adjective [ Latin
quinarius , from
quini five each, akin to
quinque five: confer French
quinaire . See
Five .]
Consisting of five; arranged by fives. Boyle. Quinary system (Zoology) ,
a fanciful classification based on the hypothesis that each group contains five types.
Quinate Qui"nate adjective [ Latin
quini five each.]
(Botany) Growing in sets of five; -- said especially of leaves composed of five leaflets set at the end of a common petiole.
Quinate Qui"nate noun (Chemistry) A salt of quinic acid. [ Written also
kinate .]
Quinazol Quin"a·zol noun [
Quin oline +
az ote.]
(Chemistry) A complex nitrogenous base related to cinnoline. [ Written also
chinazol .]
Quince Quince (kwĭns)
noun [ Prob. a plural from Middle English
quyne ,
coin , Old French
coin ,
cooin , French
coing , from Latin
Cydonius a quince tree, as adj., Cydonian, Greek ... Cydonian, ... ... a quince, from ... Cydonia, a city in Crete, ... the Cydonians. Confer
Quiddany .]
1. The fruit of a shrub ( Cydonia vulgaris ) belonging to the same tribe as the apple. It somewhat resembles an apple, but differs in having many seeds in each carpel. It has hard flesh of high flavor, but very acid, and is largely used for marmalade, jelly, and preserves. 2. (Botany) a quince tree or shrub. Japan quince (Botany) ,
an Eastern Asiatic shrub ( Cydonia , formerly Pyrus, Japonica ) and its very fragrant but inedible fruit. The shrub has very showy flowers, usually red, but sometimes pink or white, and is much grown for ornament. --
Quince curculio (Zoology) ,
a small gray and yellow curculio ( Conotrachelus cratægi ) whose larva lives in quinces. --
Quince tree (Botany) ,
the small tree ( Cydonia vulgaris ) which produces the quince.
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