Quadroon Quad·roon" noun [ French quarteron , or Spanish cuarteron . See Quarter a fourth part, and confer Quarteron .] The offspring of a mulatto and a white person; a person quarter-blooded. [ Written also quarteron , quarteroon , and quateron .]

Quadroxide Quad·rox"ide noun [ Quadri- + oxide .] (Chemistry) A tetroxide. [ R.]

Quadrumana Quad·ru"ma·na noun plural [ New Latin See Quadrumane .] (Zoology) A division of the Primates comprising the apes and monkeys; -- so called because the hind foot is usually prehensile, and the great toe opposable somewhat like a thumb. Formerly the Quadrumana were considered an order distinct from the Bimana, which last included man alone.

Quadrumane Quad"ru·mane noun [ Latin quattuor four + manus a hand: confer French quadrumane .] (Zoology) One of the Quadrumana.

Quadrumanous Quad·ru"ma·nous adjective (Zoology) Having four hands; of or pertaining to the Quadrumana.

Quadruped Quad"ru·ped adjective [ Latin quadrupes , -pedis ; quattuor four + pes , pedis , a foot: confer French quadrupède . See Quadrate , and Foot .] Having four feet.

Quadruped Quad"ru·ped noun (Zoology) An animal having four feet, as most mammals and reptiles; -- often restricted to the mammals.

Quadrupedal Quad·ru"pe·dal adjective (Zoology) Having four feet; of or pertaining to a quadruped.

Quadruplane Quad"ru·plane noun [ Latin quadru- in comp. + English plane .] An aëroplane with four superposed main supporting surfaces.

Quadruple Quad"ru·ple adjective [ Latin quadruplus , from quattuor four: confer French quadruple . See Quadrate , and confer Double .] Fourfold; as, to make quadruple restitution; a quadruple alliance.

Quadruple time (Mus.) , that in which each measure is divided into four equal parts.

Quadruple Quad"ru·ple noun [ Confer French quadruple , Latin quadruplum .] four times the sum or number; a fourfold amount; as, to receive to quadruple of the amount in damages.

Quadruple Quad"ru·ple transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Quadrupled ; present participle & verbal noun Quadrupling .] [ Latin quadruplare : confer French quadrupler .] To multiply by four; to increase fourfold; to double; to double twice. A. Smith.

Quadruple Quad"ru·ple intransitive verb To be multiplied by four; to increase fourfold; to become four times as much.

Quadruplet Quad"ru·plet noun [ From Quadruple .] 1. A collection or combination of four of a kind.

2. pl . Four children born in the same labor.

3. A cycle for carrying four riders, so arranged that all the reders can assist in the propulsion.

Quadruplex Quad"ru·plex adjective [ Latin , from quattuor four + plicare to fold.] Fourfold; folded or doubled twice.

Quadruplex system (Electric Telegraph) , a system by which four messages, two in each direction, may be sent simultaneously over the wire.

Quadruplicate Quad·ru"pli·cate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Quadruplicated ; present participle & verbal noun Quadruplicating .] [ Latin quadruplicatus , past participle of quadruplicare , from quadruple ... fourfold. See Quadruplex .] To make fourfold; to double twice; to quadruple.

Quadruplicate Quad·ru"pli·cate adjective [ Latin quadruplicatus , past participle ]

1. Fourfold; doubled twice; four times repeated; as, a quadruplicate ratio, or a quadruplicate proportion.

2. (Math.) Raised to the fourth power. [ R.]

Quadruplication Quad`ru·pli·ca"tion noun [ Latin quadruplicatio : confer French quadruplication .] The act of making fourfold; a taking four times the simple sum or amount.

Quadruply Quad"ru·ply adverb To a fourfold quantity; so as to be, or cause to be, quadruple; as, to be quadruply recompensed.

Quaff Quaff transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Quaffed ; present participle & verbal noun Quaffing .] [ For quach , from Gael. & Ir. cuach a drinking cup; confer Latin caucus a drinking vessel. Confer Quaigh .] To drink with relish; to drink copiously of; to swallow in large draughts. " Quaffed off the muscadel." Shak.

They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet
Quaff immortality and joy.

Milton.

Quaff Quaff intransitive verb To drink largely or luxuriously.

Twelve days the gods their solemn revels keep,
And quaff with blameless Ethiops in the deep.

Dryden.

Quaffer Quaff"er noun One who quaffs, or drinks largely.

Quag Quag noun A quagmire. [ R.] "Crooked or straight, through quags or thorny dells." Cowper.

Quagga Quag"ga noun [ Hottentot.] (Zoology) A South African wild ass ( Equus, or Hippotigris, quagga ). The upper parts are reddish brown, becoming paler behind and behind and beneath, with dark stripes on the face, neck, and fore part of the body.

Quaggy Quag"gy adjective [ See Quag , Quagmire .] Of the nature of a quagmire; yielding or trembling under the foot, as soft, wet earth; spongy; boggy. "O'er the watery strath, or quaggy moss." Collins.

Quagmire Quag"mire` noun [ Quake + mire .] Soft, wet, miry land, which shakes or yields under the feet. "A spot surrounded by quagmires , which rendered it difficult of access." Palfrey.

Syn. -- Morass; marsh; bog; swamp; fen; slough.

Quahog, Quahaug Qua"hog, Qua"haug noun [ Abbrev. from Narragansett Indian poquaûhock .] (Zoology) An American market clam ( Venus mercenaria ). It is sold in large quantities, and is highly valued as food. Called also round clam , and hard clam .

» The name is also applied to other allied species, as Venus Mortoni of the Gulf of Mexico.

Quaigh, Quaich Quaigh, Quaich noun [ Gael. cuach . Confer Quaff .] A small shallow cup or drinking vessel. [ Scot.] [ Written also quegh .]

Quail Quail intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Qualled ; present participle & verbal noun Qualling .] [ Anglo-Saxon cwelan to die, perish; akin to cwalu violent death, Dutch kwaal pain, German qual torment, Old High German quelan to suffer torment, Lithuanian gelti to hurt, gela pain. Confer Quell .] 1. To die; to perish; hence, to wither; to fade. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

2. To become quelled; to become cast down; to sink under trial or apprehension of danger; to lose the spirit and power of resistance; to lose heart; to give way; to shrink; to cower.

The atheist power shall quail , and confess his fears. I . Taylor .
Stouter hearts than a woman's have quailed in this terrible winter.

Longfellow.

Syn. -- to cower; flinch; shrink; quake; tremble; blench; succumb; yield.

Quail Quail transitive verb [ Confer Quell .] To cause to fail in spirit or power; to quell; to crush; to subdue. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Quail Quail intransitive verb [ Old French coaillier , French cailler , from Latin coagulare . See Coagulate .] To curdle; to coagulate, as milk. [ Obsolete] Holland.

Quail Quail noun [ Old French quaille , French caille , Late Latin quaquila , qualia , qualea , of Dutch or German origin; confer Dutch kwakkel , kwartel , Old High German wahtala , German wachtel .]

1. (Zoology) Any gallinaceous bird belonging to Coturnix and several allied genera of the Old World, especially the common European quail ( C. communis ), the rain quail ( C. Coromandelica ) of India, the stubble quail ( C. pectoralis ), and the Australian swamp quail ( Synoicus australis ).

2. (Zoology) Any one of several American partridges belonging to Colinus , Callipepla , and allied genera, especially the bobwhite (called Virginia quail , and Maryland quail ), and the California quail ( Calipepla Californica ).

3. (Zoology) Any one of numerous species of Turnix and allied genera, native of the Old World, as the Australian painted quail ( Turnix varius ). See Turnix .

4. A prostitute; -- so called because the quail was thought to be a very amorous bird. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Bustard quail (Zoology) , a small Asiatic quail-like bird of the genus Turnix, as T. taigoor , a black-breasted species, and the hill bustard quail ( T. ocellatus ). See Turnix . -- Button quail (Zoology) , one of several small Asiatic species of Turnix, as T. Sykesii , which is said to be the smallest game bird of India. -- Mountain quail . See under Mountain . -- Quail call , a call or pipe for alluring quails into a net or within range. -- Quail dove (Zoology) , any one of several American ground pigeons belonging to Geotrygon and allied genera. -- Quail hawk (Zoology) , the New Zealand sparrow hawk ( Hieracidea Novæ-Hollandiæ ). -- Quail pipe . See Quail call , above. -- Quail snipe (Zoology) , the dowitcher, or red-breasted snipe; -- called also robin snipe , and brown snipe . -- Sea quail (Zoology) , the turnstone. [ Local, U. S.]

Quaily Quail"y noun [ Confer Quail the bird.] (Zoology) The upland plover. [ Canadian]

Quaint Quaint adjective [ Middle English queint , queynte , coint , prudent, wise, cunning, pretty, odd, Old French cointe cultivated, amiable, agreeable, neat, from Latin cognitus known, past participle of cognoscere to know; con + noscere (for gnoscere ) to know. See Know , and confer Acquaint , Cognition .] 1. Prudent; wise; hence, crafty; artful; wily. [ Obsolete]

Clerks be full subtle and full quaint .

Chaucer.

2. Characterized by ingenuity or art; finely fashioned; skillfully wrought; elegant; graceful; nice; neat. [ Archaic] " The queynte ring." " His queynte spear." Chaucer. " A shepherd young quaint ." Chapman.

Every look was coy and wondrous quaint .

Spenser.

To show bow quaint an orator you are.

Shak.

3. Curious and fanciful; affected; odd; whimsical; antique; archaic; singular; unusual; as, quaint architecture; a quaint expression.

Some stroke of quaint yet simple pleasantry.

Macaulay.

An old, long-faced, long-bodied servant in quaint livery.

W. Irving.

Syn. -- Quaint , Odd , Antique . Antique is applied to that which has come down from the ancients, or which is made to imitate some ancient work of art. Odd implies disharmony, incongruity, or unevenness. An odd thing or person is an exception to general rules of calculation and procedure, or expectation and common experience. In the current use of quaint , the two ideas of odd and antique are combined, and the word is commonly applied to that which is pleasing by reason of both these qualities. Thus, we speak of the quaint architecture of many old buildings in London; or a quaint expression, uniting at once the antique and the fanciful.

Quaintise Quain"tise noun [ Old French cointise .] 1. Craft; subtlety; cunning. [ Obsolete] Chaucer. R. of Glouces.

2. Elegance; beauty. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Quaintly Quaint"ly adverb In a quaint manner. Shak.

Quaintness Quaint"ness noun The quality of being quaint. Pope.

Quair Quair noun [ See 3d Quire .] A quire; a book. [ Obsolete] "The king's quhair ." James I. (of Scotland).

Quake Quake intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Quaked ; present participle & verbal noun Quaking .] [ Anglo-Saxon cwacian ; confer German quackeln . Confer Quagmire .] 1. To be agitated with quick, short motions continually repeated; to shake with fear, cold, etc.; to shudder; to tremble. " Quaking for dread." Chaucer.

She stood quaking like the partridge on which the hawk is ready to seize.

Sir P. Sidney.

2. To shake, vibrate, or quiver, either from not being solid, as soft, wet land, or from violent convulsion of any kind; as, the earth quakes ; the mountains quake . " Over quaking bogs." Macaulay.

Quake Quake transitive verb [ Confer Anglo-Saxon cweccan to move, shake. See Quake , transitive verb ] To cause to quake. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Quake Quake noun A tremulous agitation; a quick vibratory movement; a shudder; a quivering.

Quaker Quak"er noun 1. One who quakes.

2. One of a religious sect founded by George Fox , of Leicestershire, England, about 1650, -- the members of which call themselves Friends . They were called Quakers, originally, in derision. See Friend , noun , 4.

Fox's teaching was primarily a preaching of repentance . . . The trembling among the listening crowd caused or confirmed the name of Quakers given to the body; men and women sometimes fell down and lay struggling as if for life.

Encyc. Brit.

3. (Zoology) (a) The nankeen bird. (b) The sooty albatross. (c) Any grasshopper or locust of the genus ( Edipoda ; -- so called from the quaking noise made during flight.

Quaker buttons . (Botany) See Nux vomica . -- Quaker gun , a dummy cannon made of wood or other material; -- so called because the sect of Friends, or Quakers, hold to the doctrine, of nonresistance. -- Quaker ladies (Botany) , a low American biennial plant ( Houstonia cærulea ), with pretty four- lobed corollas which are pale blue with a yellowish center; -- also called bluets , and little innocents .

Quakeress Quak"er·ess noun A woman who is a member of the Society of Friends.

Quakerish Quak"er·ish adjective Like or pertaining to a Quaker; Quakerlike.

Quakerism Quak"er·ism noun The peculiar character, manners, tenets, etc., of the Quakers.

Quakerlike Quak"er·like adjective Like a Quaker.

Quakerly Quak"er·ly adjective Resembling Quakers; Quakerlike; Quakerish. Macaulay.

Quakery Quak"er·y noun Quakerism. [ Obsolete] Hallywell.

Quaketail Quake"tail` noun (Zoology) A wagtail.

Quakiness Quak"i·ness noun The state of being quaky; liability to quake.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
You are here: Webster > Letter Q > Page 3 of 14.
« Previous ¦1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ¦ Next »