Chapter CCCLVII: Prologue (8)

PYROXYLIC Pyr`ox*yl"ic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + Gr. (Old Chem.)

Defn: Derived from wood by distillation; -- formerly used in designating crude wood spirit.

PYROXYLIN Py*rox"y*lin, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A substance resembling gun cotton in composition and properties, but distinct in that it is more highly nitrified and is soluble in alcohol, ether, etc.; -- called also pyroxyle.

PYRRHIC Pyr"rhic, a. Etym: [L. pyrrhichius, Gr.

1. Of or pertaining to an ancient Greek martial dance. " ye have the pyrrhic dance as yet." Byron.

2. (Pros.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a pyrrhic, or to pyrrhics; containing pyrrhic; as, a pyrrhic verse.

PYRRHIC Pyr"rhic, n.

1. Etym: [Gr. pyrrhique, fem.]

Defn: An ancient Greek martial dance, to the accompaniment of the flute, its time being very quick.

2. Etym: [L. pyrrhichius (sc. pes), Gr. pyrrhique, masc.] (Pros.)

Defn: A foot consisting of two short syllables.

PYRRHICIST Pyr"rhi*cist, n. (Gr. Antiq.)

Defn: One two danced the pyrrhic.

PYRRHONEAN; PYRRHONIC Pyr*rho"ne*an, Pyr*rhon"ic, a. Etym: [L. Pyrrhonêus: cf. F. pyrrhonien.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to pyrrhonism.

PYRRHONISM Pyr"rho*nism, n. Etym: [From Pyrrho, the founder of a school of skeptics in Greece (about 300 b. c.): cf. F. pyrrhonisme.]

Defn: Skepticism; universal doubt.

PYRRHONIST Pyr"rho*nist, n.

Defn: A follower of Pyrrho; a skeptic.

PYRRHOTINE; PYRRHOTITE Pyr"rho*tine, Pyr"rho*tite, n. Etym: [Gr. (Min.)

Defn: A bronze-colored mineral, of metallic luster. It is a sulphide of iron, and is remarkable for being attracted by the magnet. Called also magnetic pyrites.

PYRROL Pyr"rol, n. Etym: [Gr. oleum oil.] (Chem.)

Defn: A nitrogenous base found in coal tar, bone oil, and other distillates of organic substances, and also produced synthetically as a colorless liquid, C4H5N, having on odor like that of chloroform. It is the nucleus and origin of a large number of derivatives. So called because it colors a splinter of wood moistened with hydrochloric acid a deep red.

PYRROLINE Pyr"ro*line, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A nitrogenous base, C4H7N, obtained as a colorless liquid by the reduction of pyrrol.

PYRULA Pyr"u*la, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. pyrus a pear.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of large marine gastropods. having a pear-shaped shell. It includes the fig-shells. See Illust. in Appendix.

PYRURIC Py*ru"ric, a.

Defn: Same as Pyroüric.

PYRUS Py"rus, n. Etym: [L. pyrus, or better pirus, pear tree.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of rosaceous trees and shrubs having pomes for fruit. It includes the apple, crab apple, pear, chokeberry, sorb, and mountain ash.

PYRUVIC Py*ru"vic, a. Etym: [Pyro- + L. uva a grape.] (Chem.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid (called also pyroracemic acid) obtained, as a liquid having a pungent odor, by the distillation of racemic acid.

PYRUVIL Py*ru"vil, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A complex nitrogenous compound obtained by heating together pyruvic acid and urea.

PYTHAGOREAN Pyth`a*go"re*an, a. Etym: [L. Pythagoreus, Gr.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Pythagoras (a Greek philosopher, born about 582 b. c.), or his philosophy. The central thought of the Pythagorean philosophy is the idea of number, the recognition of the numerical and mathematical relations of things. Encyc. Brit. Pythagorean proposition (Geom.), the theorem that the square described upon the hypothenuse of a plane right-angled triangle is equal to the sum of the squares described upon the other two sides. -- Pythagorean system (Astron.), the commonly received system of astronomy, first taught by Pythagoras, and afterward revived by Copernicus, whence it is also called the Copernican system. -- Pythagorean letter. See Y.

PYTHAGOREAN Pyth`a*go"re*an, n.

Defn: A follower of Pythagoras; one of the school of philosophers founded by Pythagoras.

PYTHAGOREANISM Pyth`a*go"re*an*ism, n.

Defn: The doctrines of Pythagoras or the Pythagoreans. As a philosophic school Pythagoreanism became extinct in Greece about the middle of the 4th century [B. C.]. Encyc. Brit.

PYTHAGORIC; PYTHAGORICAL Pyth`a*gor"ic, Pyth`a*gor"ic*al, a.Etym: [L. Pythagoricus, Gr. pythagorique.]

Defn: See Pythagorean, a.

PYTHAGORISM Py*thag"o*rism, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: The doctrines taught by Pythagoras.

Note: Pythagoras made numbers the basis of his philosophical system, as well physical as metaphysical. The doctrine of the transmigration of souls (metempsychosis) is associated closely with name of Pythagoras.

PYTHAGORIZE Py*thag"o*rize, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Pythagorized; p. pr. & vb. n. Pythagorizing.] Etym: [Gr.

Defn: To speculate after the manner of Pythagoras.

PYTHIAD Pyth"i*ad, n. Etym: [See Pythian.] (Gr. Antiq.)

Defn: The period intervening between one celebration of the Pythian games and the next.

PYTHIAN Pyth"i*an, a. Etym: [L. Pythius, Gr. pythien.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to Delphi, to the temple of Apollo, or to the priestess of Apollo, who delivered oracles at Delphi. Pythian games (Gr. Antiq.), one of the four great national festivals of ancient Greece, celebrated near Delphi, in honor of Apollo, the conqueror of the dragon Python, at first once in eight years, afterward once in four.

PYTHOCENIC Pyth`o*cen"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: Producing decomposition, as diseases which are supposed to be accompanied or caused by decomposition.

PYTHON Py"thon, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. Python the serpent slain near Delphi by Apollo, Gr.

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any species of very large snakes of the genus Python, and allied genera, of the family Pythonidæ. They are nearly allied to the boas. Called also rock snake.

Note: The pythons have small pelvic bones, or anal spurs, two rows of subcaudal scales, and pitted labials. They are found in Africa, Asia, and the East Indies.

2. A diviner by spirits. "[Manasses] observed omens, and appointed pythons." 4 Kings xxi. 6 (Douay version).

PYTHONESS Pyth"o*ness, n. Etym: [L. pythonissa: cf. F. pythonisse. See Pythian.]

1. (Gr. Antiq.)

Defn: The priestess who gave oracular answers at Delphi in Greece.

2. Any woman supposed to have a spirit of divination; a sort of witch. Bp. Hall.

PYTHONIC Py*thon"ic, a. Etym: [L. pythonicus, Gr. Pythian.]

Defn: Prophetic; oracular; pretending to foretell events.

PYTHONISM Pyth"o*nism, n.

Defn: The art of predicting events after the manner of the priestess of Apollo at Delphi; equivocal prophesying.

PYTHONIST Pyth"o*nist, n.

Defn: A conjurer; a diviner.

PYTHONOMORPHA Pyth`o*no*mor"pha, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Python, and -morphous.] (Paleon.)

Defn: Same as Mosasauria.

PYURIA Py*u"ri*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)

Defn: A morbid condition in which pus is discharged in the urine.

PYX Pyx, )n. Etym: [L. pyxis a box, Gr. Box a receptacle.] [Written also pix.]

1. ( R. C. Ch.)

Defn: The box, case, vase, or tabernacle, in which the host is reserved.

2. A box used in the British mint as a place of deposit for certain sample coins taken for a trial of the weight and fineness of metal before it is sent from the mint. Mushet.

3. (Naut.)

Defn: The box in which the compass is suspended; the binnacle. Weale.

4. (Anat.)

Defn: Same as Pyxis. Pyx cloth (R. C. Ch., a veil of silk or lace covering the pyx. Trial of the pyx, the annual testing, in the English mint, of the standard of gold and silver coins. Encyc. Brit.

PYX Pyx, v. t.

Defn: To test as to weight and fineness, as the coins deposited in the pyx. [Eng.] Mushet.

PYXIDATE Pyx"i*date, a.

Defn: Having a pyxidium.

PYXIDIUM Pyx*id"i*um, n.; pl. Pyxidia. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Pyx.] (Bot.) (a) A pod which divides circularly into an upper and lower half, of which the former acts as a kind of lid, as in the pimpernel and purslane. (b) The theca of mosses.

PYXIE Pyx"ie, n. (Bot.)

Defn: Same as Pixy.

PYXIS Pyx*is, n. Etym: [L.]

1. A box; a pyx.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A pyxidium.

3. (Anat.)

Defn: The acetabulum. See Acetabulum, 2.

Q

Defn: , the seventeenth letter of the English alphabet, has but one sound (that of k), and is always followed by u, the two letters together being sounded like kw, except in some words in which the u is silent. See Guide to Pronunciation, § 249. Q is not found in Anglo-Saxon, cw being used instead of qu; as in cwic, quick; cwen, queen. The name (ku) is from the French ku, which is from the Latin name of the same letter; its form is from the Latin, which derived it, through a Greek alphabet, from the Phoenician, the ultimate origin being Egyptian. Etymologically, q or qu is most nearly related to a (ch, tch), p, q, and wh; as in cud, quid, L. equus, ecus, horse, Gr. equine, hippic; L. quod which, E. what; L. aquila, E. eaqle; E. kitchen, OE. kichene, AS. cycene, L. coquina.

QUA Qua, conj. Etym: [L., abl. of qui who.]

Defn: In so far as; in the capacity or character of; as. It is with Shelley's biographers qua biographers that we have to deal. London Spectator.

QUAB Quab, n. Etym: [Cf. D. kwab eelpout, Dan. quabbe, G. quabbe, quappe, LG. quabbe a fat lump of flesh, and L. capito a kind of fish with a large head, fr. caput the head, also E. squab.]

Defn: An unfledged bird; hence, something immature or unfinished. Ford.

QUAB Quab, v. i.

Defn: See Quob, v. i.

QUA-BIRD Qua"-bird`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The American night heron. See under Night.

QUACHA Qua"cha, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The quagga.

QUACK Quack, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Qvacked; p. pr. & vb. n. Quacking.] Etym: [Of imitative origin; cf. D. kwaken, G. quacken, quaken, Icel. kvaka to twitter.]

1. To utter a sound like the cry of a duck.

2. To make vain and loud pretensions; to boast. " To quack of universal cures." Hudibras.

3. To act the part of a quack, or pretender.

QUACK Quack, n.

1. The cry of the duck, or a sound in imitation of it; a hoarse, quacking noise. Chaucer.

2. Etym: [Cf. Quacksalver.]

Defn: A boastful pretender to medical skill; an empiric; an ignorant practitioner.

3. Hence, one who boastfully pretends to skill or knowledge of any kind not possessed; a charlatan. Quacks political; quacks scientific, academical. Carlyle.

QUACK Quack, a.

Defn: Pertaining to or characterized by, boasting and pretension; used by quacks; pretending to cure diseases; as, a quack medicine; a quack doctor.

QUACKERY Quack"er*y, n.; pl. Quackeries (.

Defn: The acts, arts, or boastful pretensions of a quack; false pretensions to any art; empiricism. Carlyle.

QUACK GRASS Quack" grass`. (Bot.)

Defn: See Quitch grass.

QUACKISH Quack"ish, a.

Defn: Like a quack; boasting; characterized by quackery. Burke.

QUACKISM Quack"ism, n.

Defn: Quackery. Carlyle.

QUACKLE Quac"kle, v. i. & t. [imp. & p. p. Quackled; p. pr. & vb. n. Quackling.] Etym: [Cf.Querken.]

Defn: To suffocate; to choke. [Prov. Eng.]

QUACKSALVER Quack"sal*ver, n. Etym: [D. kwakzalver; cf. kwakzalven to quack or boast of one's salves. See Quack, Salve, n.]

Defn: One who boasts of his skill in medicines and salves, or of the efficacy of his prescriptions; a charlatan; a quack; a mountebank. [Obs.] Burton.

QUAD; QUADE Quad, Quade, a. Etym: [Akin to AS. cwæd, cwead, dung, evil, G. kot, dung, OHG. quat.]

Defn: Evil; bad; baffling; as, a quade wind. [Obs.] Sooth play, quad play, as the Fleming saith. Chaucer.

QUAD Quad, n. (Print.)

Defn: A quadrat.

QUAD Quad, n. (Arch.)

Defn: A quadrangle; hence, a prison. [Cant or Slang]

QUADRA Quad"ra, n.; pl. Quadræ. Etym: [L., a square, the socle, a platband, a fillet.] (Arch.) (a) The plinth, or lowest member, of any pedestal, podium, water table, or the like. (b) A fillet, or listel.

QUADRABLE Quad"ra*ble, a.Etym: [See Quadrate.] (Math.)

Defn: That may be sqyared, or reduced to an equivalent square; -- said of a surface when the area limited by a curve can be exactly found, and expressed in a finite number of algebraic terms.

QUADRAGENARIOUS Quad`ra*ge*na"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. quadragenarius, fr. qyadrageni forty each.]

Defn: Consisting of forty; forty years old.

QUADRAGENE Quad"ra*gene, n. Etym: [LL. quadragena, fr. L. quadrageni forty each, akin to quadraginta forty.] (R. C. Ch.)

Defn: An indulgence of forty days, corresponding to the forty days of ancient canonical penance.

QUADRAGESIMA Quad`ra*ges"i*ma, n. Etym: [L., fr. quadragesimus the fortieth, fr. quadraginta forty; akin to quattuor four. See Four.] (Eccl.)

Defn: The forty days of fast preceding Easter; Lent. Quadragesima Sunday, the first Sunday in Lent, about forty days before Easter.

QUADRAGESIMAL Quad`ra*ges"i*mal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. quadragésimal.]

Defn: Belonging to Lent; used in Lent; Lenten.

QUADRAGESIMALS Quad`ra*ges"i*mals, n. pl.

Defn: Offerings formerly made to the mother church of a diocese on Mid-Lent Sunday.

QUADRANGLE Quad"ran`gle, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. quadrangulum; quattuor four + angulus an angle. See Four, and Angle a corner.]

1. (Geom.)

Defn: A plane figure having four angles, and consequently four sides; any figure having four angles.

2. A square or quadrangular space or inclosure, such a space or court surrounded by buildings, esp. such a court in a college or public school in England.

QUADRANGULAR Quad*ran"gu*lar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. quadrangulaire.]

Defn: Having four angles, and consequently four sides; tetragonal. -- Quad*ran"gu*lar*ly, adv.

QUADRANS Quad"rans, n.; pl. Quadrantes. Etym: [L.]

1. (Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: A fourth part of the coin called an as. See 3d As, 2.

2. The fourth of a penny; a farthing. See Cur.

QUADRANT Quad"rant, n. Etym: [L. quadrans, -antis, a fourth part, a fourth of a whole, fr. quattuor four: cf. F. quadrant, cadran. See Four, and cf. Cadrans.]

1. The fourth part; the quarter. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

2. (Geom.)

Defn: The quarter of a circle, or of the circumference of a circle, an arc of 90º, or one subtending a right angle at the center.

3. (Anal. (Geom.)

Defn: One of the four parts into which a plane is divided by the coördinate axes. The upper right-hand part is the first quadrant; the upper left-hand part the second; the lower left-hand part the third; and the lower right-hand part the fourth quadrant.

4. An instrument for measuring altitudes, variously constructed and mounted for different specific uses in astronomy, surveying, gunnery, etc., consisting commonly of a graduated arc of 90º, with an index or vernier, and either plain or telescopic sights, and usually having a plumb line or spirit level for fixing the vertical or horizontal direction. Gunner's quadrant, an instrument consisting of a graduated limb, with a plumb line or spirit level, and an arm by which it is applied to a cannon or mortar in adjusting it to the elevation required for attaining the desired range. -- Gunter's quadrant. See Gunter's quadrant, in the Vocabulary. Hadley's quadrant, a hand instrument used chiefly at sea to measure the altitude of the sun or other celestial body in ascertaining the vessel's position. It consists of a frame in the form of an octant having a graduated scale upon its arc, and an index arm, or alidade pivoted at its apex. Mirrors, called the index glass and the horizon glass, are fixed one upon the index arm and the other upon one side of the frame, respectively. When the instrument is held upright, the index arm may be swung so that the index glass will reflect an image of the sun upon the horizon glass, and when the reflected image of the sun coincides, to the observer's eye, with the horizon as seen directly through an opening at the side of the horizon glass, the index shows the sun's altitude upon the scale; -- more properly, but less commonly, called an octant. -- Quadrant of altitude, an appendage of the artificial globe, consisting of a slip of brass of the length of a quadrant of one of the great circles of the globe, and graduated. It may be fitted to the meridian, and being movable round to all points of the horizon, serves as a scale in measuring altitudes, azimuths, etc.

QUADRANTAL Quad*ran"tal, a. Etym: [L. quadrantalis containing the fourth fourth part of a measure.] (Geom.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a quadrant; also, included in the fourth part of a circle; as, quadrantal space. Quadrantal triangle, a spherical triangle having one side equal to a quadrant or arc of 90º. -- Quadrantal versor, a versor that expresses rotation through one right angle.

QUADRANTAL Quad*ran"tal, n. Etym: [L.]

1. (Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: A cubical vessel containing a Roman cubic foot, each side being a Roman square foot; -- used as a measure.

2. A cube. [R.]

QUADRAT Quad"rat, n. Etym: [F. quadrat, cadrat. See Quadrate.]

1. (Print.)

Defn: A block of type metal lower than the letters, -- used in spacing and in blank lines. [Abbrev. quad.]

2. An old instrument used for taking altitudes; -- called also geometrical square, and line of shadows.

QUADRATE Quad"rate, a. Etym: [L. quadratus squared, p. p. of quadrare to make four-cornered, to make square, to square, to fit, suit, from quadrus square, quattuor four. See Quadrant, and cf. Quadrat, Quarry an arrow, Square.]

1. Having four equal sides, the opposite sides parallel, and four right angles; square. Figures, some round, some triangle, some quadrate. Foxe.

2. Produced by multiplying a number by itself; square. " Quadrate and cubical numbers." Sir T. Browne.

3. Square; even; balanced; equal; exact. [Archaic] " A quadrate, solid, wise man." Howell.

4. Squared; suited; correspondent. [Archaic] " A generical description quadrate to both." Harvey. Quadrate bone (Anat.), a bone between the base of the lower jaw and the skull in most vertebrates below the mammals. In reptiles and birds it articulates the lower jaw with the skull; in mammals it is represented by the malleus or incus.

QUADRATE Quad"rate, n. Etym: [L. quadratum. See Quadrate, a.]

1. (Geom.)

Defn: A plane surface with four equal sides and four right angles; a square; hence, figuratively, anything having the outline of a square. At which command, the powers militant That stood for heaven, in mighty quadrate joined. Milton.

2. (Astrol.)

Defn: An aspect of the heavenly bodies in which they are distant from each other 90º, or the quarter of a circle; quartile. See the Note under Aspect, 6.

3. (Anat.)

Defn: The quadrate bone.

QUADRATE Quad"rate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Quadrated; p. pr. & vb. n. Quadrating.] Etym: [See Quadrate, a.]

Defn: To square; to agree; to suit; to correspond; -- followed by with. [Archaic] The objections of these speculatists of its forms do not quadrate with their theories. Burke.

QUADRATE Quad"rate, v. t.

Defn: To adjust (a gun) on its carriage; also, to train (a gun) for horizontal firing.

QUADRATIC Quad*rat"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. quadratique.]

1. Of or pertaining to a square, or to squares; resembling a quadrate, or square; square.

2. (Crystallog.)

Defn: Tetragonal.

3. (Alg.)

Defn: Pertaining to terms of the second degree; as, a quadratic equation, in which the highest power of the unknown quantity is a square.

QUADRATICS Quad*rat"ics, n. (Alg.)

Defn: That branch of algebra which treats of quadratic equations.

QUADRATOJUGAL Quad*ra`to*ju"gal, a. (Anat.) (a) Of or pertaining to the quadrate and jugal bones. (b) Of or pertaining to the quadratojugal bone. -- n.

Defn: The quadratojugal bone. Quadratojugal bone (Anat.), a bone at the base of the lower jaw in many animals.

QUADRATRIX Quad*ra"trix, n.; pl. -trixes, or -trices. Etym: [NL.] (Geom.)

Defn: A curve made use of in the quadrature of other curves; as the quadratrix, of Dinostratus, or of Tschirnhausen.

QUADRATURE Quad"ra*ture, n. Etym: [L. quadratura: cf. F. quadrature. See Quadrate, a.]

1. (Math.)

Defn: The act of squaring; the finding of a square having the same area as some given curvilinear figure; as, the quadrature of a circle; the operation of finding an expression for the area of a figure bounded wholly or in part by a curved line, as by a curve, two ordinates, and the axis of abscissas.

2. A quadrate; a square. Milton.

3. (Integral Calculus)

Defn: The integral used in obtaining the area bounded by a curve; hence, the definite integral of the product of any function of one variable into the differential of that variable.

4. (Astron.)

Defn: The position of one heavenly body in respect to another when distant from it 90º, or a quarter of a circle, as the moon when at an equal distance from the points of conjunction and opposition. Quadrature of the moon (Astron.), the position of the moon when one half of the disk is illuminated. -- Quadrature of an orbit (Astron.), a point in an orbit which is at either extremity of the latus rectum drawn through the empty focus of the orbit.

QUADREL Quad"rel, n. Etym: [It. quadrello, LL. quadrellus, fr. L. quadrus square. See Quadrate, and cf. Quarrel an arrow.]

1. A square piece of turf or peat. [Prov. Eng.]

2. A square brick, tile, or the like.

QUADRENNIAL Quad*ren"ni*al, a. Etym: [L. quadriennium a space of four years; quattuor four + annus year; cf. L. quadriennis. See Quadrate, and Annual.]

1. Comprising four years; as, a quadrennial period.

2. Occurring once in four years, or at the end of every four years; as, quadrennial games.

QUADRENNIALLY Quad*ren"ni*al*ly, adv.

Defn: Once in four years.

QUADRENNIUM Quad*ren"ni*um, n. Etym: [NL. See Quadrennial.]

Defn: A space or period of four years.

QUADRI- Quad"ri-. Etym: [L., from quattuor four. See Four.]

Defn: A combining form meaning four, four times, fourfold; as, quadricapsular, having four capsules.

QUADRIBASIC Quad`ri*ba"sic, a. Etym: [Quadri- + basic.] (Chem.)

Defn: Same as Tetrabasic.

QUADRIBLE Quad"ri*ble, a.

Defn: Quadrable. [R.]

QUADRIC Quad"ric, a. (Math.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the second degree.

QUADRIC Quad"ric, n. (a) (Alg.) A quantic of the second degree. See Quantic. (b) (Geom.) A surface whose equation in three variables is of the second degree. Spheres, spheroids, ellipsoids, paraboloids, hyperboloids, also cones and cylinders with circular bases, are quadrics.

QUADRICAPSULAR Quad`ri*cap"su*lar, a. Etym: [Quadri- + capsular.] (Bot.)

Defn: Having four capsules.

QUADRICEPS Quad"ri*ceps, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. qyattuor four + caput head.] (Anat.)

Defn: The great extensor muscle of the knee, divided above into four parts which unite in a single tendon at the knee.

QUADRICIPITAL Quad`ri*cip"i*tal, n. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the quadriceps.

QUADRICORN Quad"ri*corn, n. Etym: [See Quadricornous.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any quadricornous animal.

QUADRICORNOUS Quad`ri*cor"nous, a. Etym: [Quadri- + L. cornu horn: cf. F. quadricorne.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having four horns, or hornlike organs; as, a quadricornous beetle.

QUADRICOSTATE Quad`ri*cos"tate, a. Etym: [Quadri- + costate.]

Defn: Having four ribs.

QUADRIDENTATE Quad`ri*den"tate, a. Etym: [Quadri- + dentate.]

Defn: Having four teeth; as, a quadridentate leaf.

QUADRIENNIAL Quad`ri*en"ni*al, a.

Defn: Same as Quadrennial.

QUADRIFARIOUS Quad`ri*fa"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. quadrifarius fourfold, fr. quattuor four: cf. F. quadrifarié. Cf. Multifarious.]

Defn: Arranged in four rows or ranks; as, quadrifarious leaves. Loudon.

QUADRIFID Quad"ri*fid, a. Etym: [L. quadrifidus; quattuor four + findere to cleave: cf. F. quadrifide.]

Defn: Divided, or deeply cleft, into four parts; as, a quadrifid perianth; a quadrifid leaf.

QUADRIFOIL; QUADRIFOLIATE Quad"ri*foil, Quad`ri*fo"li*ate, a. Etym: [Quadri- + L. folium leaf.] (Bot.)

Defn: Four-leaved; having the leaves in whorls of four.

QUADRIFURCATED Quad`ri*fur"ca*ted, a. Etym: [Quadri- + furcated.]

Defn: Having four forks, or branches.

QUADRIGA Quad*ri"ga, n.; pl. Quadrigæ. Etym: [L. See Quadrijugous.] (Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: A car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast.

QUADRIGEMINAL; QUADRIGEMINOUS Quad`ri*gem"i*nal, Quad`ri*gem"i*nous, a. Etym: [Quadri- + L. gemini twins.]

Defn: Fourfold; having four similar parts, or two pairs of similar parts. Quadrigeminal bodies (Anat.), two pairs of lobes, or elevations, on the dorsal side of the midbrain of most mammals; the optic lobes. The anterior pair are called the nates, and the posterior the testes.

QUADRIGENARIOUS Quad`ri*ge*na"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. quadrigeni, quadringeni, four hundred each.]

Defn: Consisting of four hundred.

QUADRIJUGATE Quad*rij"u*gate, a.

Defn: Same as Quadrijugous.

QUADRIJUGOUS Quad*rij"u*gous, a. Etym: [L. quadrijugus of a team of four; quattuor four + jugum yoke.] (Bot.)

Defn: Pinnate, with four pairs of leaflets; as, a quadrijugous leaf.

QUADRILATERAL Quad`ri*lat"er*al, a. Etym: [L. quadrilaterus: cf. F. quadrilatère, quadrilatéral. See Quadri- and Lateral.]

Defn: Having four sides, and consequently four angles; quadrangular.

QUADRILATERAL Quad`ri*lat"er*al, n.

1. (Geom.)

Defn: A plane figure having four sides, and consequently four angles; a quadrangular figure; any figure formed by four lines.

2. An area defended by four fortresses supporting each other; as, the Venetian quadrilateral, comprising Mantua, Peschiera, Verona, and Legnano. Complete quadrilateral (Geom.), the figure made up of the six straight lines that can be drawn through four points, A., B, C, I, the lines being supposed to be produced indefinitely.

QUADRILATERALNESS Quad`ri*lat"er*al*ness, n.

Defn: The property of being quadrilateral.

QUADRILITERAL Quad`ri*lit"er*al, a. Etym: [Quadri- + literal.]

Defn: Consisting of four letters.

QUADRILLE Qua*drille", n. Etym: [F. quadrille, n. fem., fr. Sp. cuadrilla meeting of four or more persons or It. quadriglia a band of soldiers, a sort of dance; dim. fr. L. quadra a square, fr. quattuor four. See Quadrate.]

1. A dance having five figures, in common time, four couples of dancers being in each set.

2. The appropriate music for a quadrille.

QUADRILLE Qua*drille", n. Etym: [F. quadrille, n. masc., cf. It. quadriglio; or perhaps from the Spanish. See Quadrille a dance.]

Defn: A game played by four persons with forty cards, being the remainder of an ordinary pack after the tens, nines, and eights are discarded. Hoyle.

QUADRILLION Quad*ril"lion, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. quater four times, akin to quattuor four, E. four; -- formed like million. See Four, Million.]

Defn: According to the French notation, which is followed also upon the Continent and in the United States, a unit with fifteen ciphers annexed; according to the English notation, the number produced by involving a million to the fourth power, or the number represented by a unit with twenty-four ciphers annexed. See the Note under Numeration.

QUADRILOBATE; QUADRILOBED Quad`ri*lo"bate, Quad`ri*lobed, a. Etym: [Quadri- + lobe: cf. F. quadrilobé.]

Defn: Having four lobes; as, a quadrilobate leaf.

QUADRILOCULAR Quad`ri*loc"u*lar, a. Etym: [Quadri- + locular: cf. F. quadriloculaire.]

Defn: Having four cells, or cavities; as, a quadrilocular heart.

QUADRIN Quad"rin, n. Etym: [OF., fr. L. quadrini four each, fr. quattuor four.]

Defn: A small piece of money, in value about a farthing, or a half cent. [Obs.]

QUADRINODAL Quad`ri*nod"al, a. Etym: [Quadri- + nodal.] (Math.)

Defn: Possessing four nodes; as, quadrinodal curves.

QUADRINOMIAL Quad`ri*no"mi*al, n. Etym: [Quadri- + nomial, as in binomial: cf. F. quadrinôme.] (Alg.)

Defn: A polynomial of four terms connected by the signs plus or minus.

QUADRINOMICAL Quad`ri*nom"ic*al, a.

Defn: Quadrinomial.

QUADRINOMINAL Quad`ri*nom"i*nal, a. Etym: [Quadri- + nominal.] (Alg.)

Defn: Quadrinomial. Sir W. R. Hamilton.

QUADRIPARTITE Quad*rip"ar*tite, a. Etym: [L. quadripartitus, p. p. of quadripartire to divide into four parts; quattuor four + partire to divide: cf. F. quadripartite.]

Defn: Divided into four parts.

QUADRIPARTITELY Quad*rip"ar*tite*ly, adv.

Defn: In four parts.

QUADRIPARTITION Quad`ri*par*ti"tion, n. Etym: [L. quadripartitio: cf. F. quadripartition.]

Defn: A division or distribution by four, or into four parts; also, a taking the fourth part of any quantity or number.

QUADRIPENNATE Quad`ri*pen"nate, a. Etym: [Quadri- + pennate.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having four wings; -- said of insects.

QUADRIPHYLLOUS Quad*riph"yl*lous, a. Etym: [Quadri + Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: Having four leaves; quadrifoliate.

QUADRIREME Quad"ri*reme, n. Etym: [L. quadriremis; quattuor four + remus an oar: cf. F. quadrirème.] (Antiq.)

Defn: A galley with four banks of oars or rowers.

QUADRISECTION Quad`ri*sec"tion, n. Etym: [Quadri- + section.]

Defn: A subdivision into four parts.

QUADRISULCATE Quad`ri*sul"cate, a. Etym: [Quadri + sulcate.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having four hoofs; as, a quadrisulcate foot; a quadrisulcate animal.

QUADRISYLLABIC; QUADRI-SYLLABICAL Quad`ri*syl*lab"ic, Quad`ri-syl*lab"ic*al,

Defn: Having four syllables; of or pertaining to quadrisyllables; as, a quadrisyllabic word.

QUADRISYLLABLE Quad`ri*syl"la*ble, n. Etym: [Quadri- + syllable: cf. F. quadrisyllabe.]

Defn: A word consisting of four syllables. De Quincey.

QUADRIVALENCE Quad*riv"a*lence, n. (Chem.)

Defn: The quality or state of being quadrivalent; tetravalence.

QUADRIVALENT Quad*riv"a*lent, a. Etym: [Quadri- + L. valens, -entis, p. pr. See Valence.] (Chem.)

Defn: Having a valence of four; capable of combining with, being replaced by, or compared with, four monad atoms; tetravalent; -- said of certain atoms and radicals; thus, carbon and silicon are quadrivalent elements.

QUADRIVALVE Quad"ri*valve, a. Etym: [Quadri- + valve: cf. F. quadrivalve.] (Bot.)

Defn: Dehiscent into four similar parts; four-valved; as, a quadrivalve pericarp.

QUADRIVALVE Quad"ri*valve, n. (Arch.)

Defn: A door, shutter, or the like, having four folds.

QUADRIVALVULAR Quad`ri*val"vu*lar, a.

Defn: Having four valves; quadrivalve.

QUADRIVIAL Quad*riv"i*al, a. Etym: [L. quadrivium a place where four ways meet; quattuor four + via way.]

Defn: Having four ways meeting in a point. B. Jonson.

QUADRIVIAL Quad*riv"i*al, n.

Defn: One of the four "liberal arts" making up the quadrivium.

QUADRIVIUM Quad*riv"i*um, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: The four "liberal arts," arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy; -- so called by the schoolmen. See Trivium.

QUADROON Quad*roon", n. Etym: [F. quarteron, or Sp. cuarteron. See Quarter a fourth part, and cf. Quarteron.]

Defn: The offspring of a mulatto and a white person; a person quarter-blooded. [Written also quarteron, quarteroon, and quateron.]

QUADROXIDE Quad*rox"ide, n. Etym: [Quadri- + oxide.] (Chem.)

Defn: A tetroxide. [R.]

QUADRUMANA Quad*ru"ma*na, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Quadrumane.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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, n. Etym: [L. quattuor four + manus a hand: cf. F. quadrumane.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Quadrumana.

QUADRUMANOUS Quad*ru"ma*nous, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having four hands; of or pertaining to the Quadrumana.

QUADRUPED Quad"ru*ped, a. Etym: [L. quadrupes, -pedis; quattuor four + pes, pedis, a foot: cf. F. quadrupède. See Quadrate, and Foot.]

Defn: Having four feet.

QUADRUPED Quad"ru*ped, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An animal having four feet, as most mammals and reptiles; -- often restricted to the mammals.

QUADRUPEDAL Quad*ru"pe*dal, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having four feet; of or pertaining to a quadruped.

QUADRUPLANE Quad"ru*plane, n. [L. quadru-in comp. + E. plane.]

Defn: An aëroplane with four superposed main supporting surfaces.

QUADRUPLE Quad"ru*ple, a. Etym: [L. quadruplus, from quattuor four: cf. F. quadruple. See Quadrate, and cf. Double.]

Defn: 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, n. Etym: [Cf. F. quadruple, L. quadruplum.]

Defn: four times the sum or number; a fourfold amount; as, to receive to quadruple of the amount in damages.

QUADRUPLE Quad"ru*ple, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quadrupled; p. pr. & vb. n. Quadrupling.] Etym: [L. quadruplare: cf. F. quadrupler.]

Defn: To multiply by four; to increase fourfold; to double; to double twice. A. Smith.

QUADRUPLE Quad"ru*ple, v. i.

Defn: To be multiplied by four; to increase fourfold; to become four times as much.

QUADRUPLET Quad"ru*plet, n. [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, a. Etym: [L., from quattuor four + plicare to fold.]

Defn: 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, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quadruplicated; p. pr. & vb. n. Quadruplicating.] Etym: [L. quadruplicatus, p. p. of quadruplicare, fr. quadrupleQuadruplex.]

Defn: To make fourfold; to double twice; to quadruple.

QUADRUPLICATE Quad*ru"pli*cate, a. Etym: [L. quadruplicatus, p. p.]

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

2. (Math.)

Defn: Raised to the fourth power. [R.]

QUADRUPLICATION Quad`ru*pli*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. quadruplicatio: cf. F. quadruplication.]

Defn: The act of making fourfold; a taking four times the simple sum or amount.

QUADRUPLY Quad"ru*ply, adv.

Defn: To a fourfold quantity; so as to be, or cause to be, quadruple; as, to be quadruply recompensed.

QUAERE Quæ"re, v. imperative. Etym: [L., imperative of quaerere to seek.]

Defn: Inquire; question; see; -- used to signify doubt or to suggest investigation.

QUAESTOR Quæs"tor, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: Same as Questor.

QUAFF Quaff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quaffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Quaffing.] Etym: [For quach, fr. Gael. & Ir. cuach a drinking cup; cf. L. caucus a drinking vessel. Cf. Quaigh.]

Defn: 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, v. i.

Defn: 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, n.

Defn: One who quaffs, or drinks largely.

QUAG Quag, n.

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

QUAGGA Quag"ga, n. Etym: [Hottentot.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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, a.Etym: [See Quag, Quagmire.]

Defn: 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`, n. Etym: [Quake + mire.]

Defn: 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, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. Narragansett Indian poquaûhock.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

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

QUAIGH; QUAICH Quaigh, Quaich, n. Etym: [Gael.cuach. Cf. Quaff.]

Defn: A small shallow cup or drinking vessel. [Scot.] [Written also quegh.]

QUAIL Quail, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Qualled; p. pr. & vb. n. Qualling.] Etym: [AS.cwelan to die, perish; akin to cwalu violent death, D. kwaal pain, G. qual torment, OHG. quelan to suffer torment, Lith. gelti to hurt, gela pain. Cf. Quell.]

1. To die; to perish; hence, to wither; to fade. [Obs.] 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, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Quell.]

Defn: To cause to fail in spirit or power; to quell; to crush; to subdue. [Obs.] Spenser.

QUAIL Quail, v. i. Etym: [OF. coaillier, F. cailler, from L. coagulare. See Coagulate.]

Defn: To curdle; to coagulate, as milk. [Obs.] Holland.

QUAIL Quail, n. Etym: [OF. quaille, F. caille, LL. quaquila, qualia, qualea, of Dutch or German origin; cf. D. kwakkel, kwartel, OHG. wahtala, G. wachtel.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.[Obs.] Shak. Bustard quail (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), any one of several American ground pigeons belonging to Geotrygon and allied genera. -- Quail hawk (Zoöl.), the New Zealand sparrow hawk (Hieracidea Novæ-Hollandiæ). -- Quail pipe. See Quail call, above. -- Quail snipe (Zoöl.), the dowitcher, or red-breasted snipe; -- called also robin snipe, and brown snipe. -- Sea quail (Zoöl.), the turnstone. [Local, U. S.]

QUAILY Quail"y, n. Etym: [Cf. Quail the bird.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The upland plover. [Canadian]

QUAINT Quaint, a. Etym: [OE. queint, queynte, coint, prudent, wise, cunning, pretty, odd, OF. cointe cultivated, amiable, agreeable, neat, fr. L. cognitus known, p. p. of cognoscere to know; con + noscere (for gnoscere) to know. See Know, and cf. Acquaint, Cognition.]

1. Prudent; wise; hence, crafty; artful; wily. [Obs.] 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, n. Etym: [OF. cointise.]

1. Craft; subtlety; cunning. [Obs.] Chaucer. R. of Glouces.

2. Elegance; beauty. [Obs.] Chaucer.

QUAINTLY Quaint"ly, adv.

Defn: In a quaint manner. Shak.

QUAINTNESS Quaint"ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being quaint. Pope.

QUAIR Quair, n. Etym: [See 3d Quire.]

Defn: A quire; a book. [Obs.] " The king's quhair." James I. (of Scotland).

QUAKE Quake, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Quaked; p. pr. & vb. n. Quaking.] Etym: [AS. cwacian; cf. G. quackeln. Cf. 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, v. t. Etym: [Cf. AS. cweccan to move, shake. See Quake, v. t.]

Defn: To cause to quake. [Obs.] Shak.

QUAKE Quake, n.

Defn: A tremulous agitation; a quick vibratory movement; a shudder; a quivering.

QUAKER Quak"er, n.

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, n., 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. (Zoöl.) (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. (Bot.) 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 (Bot.), 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, n.

Defn: A woman who is a member of the Society of Friends.

QUAKERISH Quak"er*ish, a.

Defn: Like or pertaining to a Quaker; Quakerlike.

QUAKERISM Quak"er*ism, n.

Defn: The peculiar character, manners, tenets, etc., of the Quakers.

QUAKERLIKE Quak"er*like, a.

Defn: Like a Quaker.

QUAKERLY Quak"er*ly, a.

Defn: Resembling Quakers; Quakerlike; Quakerish. Macaulay.

QUAKERY Quak"er*y, n.

Defn: Quakerism. [Obs.] Hallywell.

QUAKETAIL Quake"tail`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A wagtail.

QUAKINESS Quak"i"ness, n.

Defn: The state of being quaky; liability to quake.

QUAKING Quak"ing,

Defn: a. & n. from Quake, v. Quaking aspen (Bot.), an American species of poplar (Populus tremuloides), the leaves of which tremble in the lightest breeze. It much resembles the European aspen. See Aspen. -- Quaking bog, a bog of forming peat so saturated with water that it shakes when trodden upon. -- Quaking grass. (Bot.) (a) One of several grasses of the genus Briza, having slender-stalked and pendulous ovate spikelets, which quake and rattle in the wind. Briza maxima is the large quaking grass; B. media and B. minor are the smaller kinds. (b) Rattlesnake grass (Glyceria Canadensis).

QUAKINGLY Quak"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a quaking manner; fearfully. Sir P. Sidney.

QUAKY Quak"y, a.

Defn: Shaky, or tremulous; quaking.

QUALIFIABLE Qual"i*fi`a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being qualified; abatable; modifiable. Barrow.

QUALIFICATION Qual`i*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. qualification. See Qualify.]

1. The act of qualifying, or the condition of being qualified.

2. That which qualifies; any natural endowment, or any acquirement, which fits a person for a place, office, or employment, or which enables him to sustian any character with success; an enabling quality or circumstance; requisite capacity or possession. There is no qualification for government but virtue and wisdom, actual or presumptive. Burke.

3. The act of limiting, or the state of being limited; that which qualifies by limiting; modification; restriction; hence, abatement; diminution; as, to use words without any qualification.

QUALIFICATIVE Qual"i*fi*ca*tive, n.

Defn: That which qualifies, modifies, or restricts; a qualifying term or statement. How many qualificatives, correctives, and restrictives he inserteth in this relation. Fuller.

QUALIFICATOR Qual"i*fi*ca`tor, n. Etym: [LL.] (R. C. Ch.)

Defn: An officer whose business it is to examine and prepare causes for trial in the ecclesiastical courts.

QUALIFIED Qual"i*fied, a.

1. Fitted by accomplishments or endowments.

2. Modified; limited; as, a qualified statement. Qualified fee (Law), a base fee, or an estate which has a qualification annexed to it, the fee ceasing with the qualification, as a grant to A and his heirs, tenants of the manor of Dale. -- Qualified indorsement (Law), an indorsement which modifies the liability of the indorser that would result from the general principles of law, but does not affect the negotiability of the instrument. Story. -- Qualified negative (Legislation), a limited veto power, by which the chief executive in a constitutional government may refuse assent to bills passed by the legislative body, which bills therefore fail to become laws unless upon a reconsideration the legislature again passes them by a certain majority specified in the constitution, when they become laws without the approval of the executive. Qualified property (Law), that which depends on temporary possession, as that in wild animals reclaimed, or as in the case of a bailment.

Syn. -- Competent; fit; adapted. -- Qualified, Competent. Competent is most commonly used with respect to native endowments and general ability suited to the performance of a task or duty; qualified with respect to specific acquirements and training.

QUALIFIEDLY Qual"i*fied`ly, adv.

Defn: In the way of qualification; with modification or qualification.

QUALIFIEDNESS Qual"i*fied`ness, n.

Defn: The state of being qualified.

QUALIFIER Qual"i*fi`er

Defn: , One who, or that which, qualifies; that which modifies, reduces, tempers or restrains.

QUALIFY Qual"i*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Qualified; p. pr. & vb. n. Qualifying.] Etym: [F. qualifier, LL. qualificare, fr. L. qualis how constituted, as + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See Quality, and -Fy.]

1. To make such as is required; to give added or requisite qualities to; to fit, as for a place, office, occupation, or character; to furnish with the knowledge, skill, or other accomplishment necessary for a purpose; to make capable, as of an employment or privilege; to supply with legal power or capacity. He had qualified himself for municipal office by taking the oaths to the sovereigns in possession. Macaulay.

2. To give individual quality to; to modulate; to vary; to regulate. It hath no larynx . . . to qualify the sound. Sir T. Browne.

3. To reduce from a general, undefined, or comprehensive form, to particular or restricted form; to modify; to limit; to restrict; to restrain; as, to qualify a statement, claim, or proposition.

4. Hence, to soften; to abate; to diminish; to assuage; to reduce the strength of, as liquors. I do not seek to quench your love's hot fire, But qualify the fire's extreme rage. Shak.

5. To soothe; to cure; -- said of persons. [Obs.] In short space he has them qualified. Spenser.

Syn. -- To fit; equip; prepare; adapt; capacitate; enable; modify; soften; restrict; restrain; temper.

QUALIFY Qual"i*fy, v. i.

1. To be or become qualified; to be fit, as for an office or employment.

2. To obtain legal power or capacity by taking the oath, or complying with the forms required, on assuming an office.

QUALITATIVE Qual"i*ta*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. LL. gualitativus, F. qualitatif.]

Defn: Relating to quality; having the character of quality. -- Qual"i*ta*tive*ly, adv. Qualitative analysis (Chem.), analysis which merely determines the constituents of a substance without any regard to the quantity of each ingredient; -- contrasted with quantitative analysis.

QUALITIED Qual"i*tied, a.

Defn: Furnished with qualities; endowed. [Obs.] "He was well qualitied." Chapman.

QUALITY Qual"i*ty, n.; pl. Qualities. Etym: [F. qualité, L. qualitas, fr. qualis how constituted, as; akin to E. which. See Which.]

1. The condition of being of such and such a sort as distinguished from others; nature or character relatively considered, as of goods; character; sort; rank. We lived most joyful, obtaining acquaintance with many of the city not of the meanest quality. Bacon

2. Special or temporary character; profession; occupation; assumed or asserted rank, part, or position. I made that inquiry in quality of an antiquary. Gray.

3. That which makes, or helps to make, anything such as it is; anything belonging to a subject, or predicable of it; distinguishing property, characteristic, or attribute; peculiar power, capacity, or virtue; distinctive trait; as, the tones of a flute differ from those of a violin in quality; the great quality of a statesman.

Note: Qualities, in metaphysics, are primary or secondary. Primary are those essential to the existence, and even the conception, of the thing, as of matter or spirit Secondary are those not essential to such a conception.

4. An acquired trait; accomplishment; acquisition. He had those qualities of horsemanship, dancing, and fencing which accompany a good breeding. Clarendon.

5. Superior birth or station; high rank; elevated character. "Persons of quality." Bacon. Quality binding, a kind of worsted tape used in Scotland for binding carpets, and the like. The quality, those of high rank or station, as distinguished from the masses, or common people; the nobility; the gentry. I shall appear at the masquerade dressed up in my feathers, that the quality may see how pretty they will look in their traveling habits. Addison.

Syn. -- Property; attribute; nature; peculiarity; character; sort; rank; disposition; temper.

QUALM Qualm, n. Etym: [AS. cwealm death, slaughter, pestilence, akin to OS. & OHG. qualm. See Quail to cower.]

1. Sickness; disease; pestilence; death. [Obs.] thousand slain and not of qualm ystorve [dead]. Chaucer.

2. A sudden attack of illness, faintness, or pain; an agony. " Qualms of heartsick agony." Milton.

3. Especially, a sudden sensation of nausea. For who, without a qualm, hath ever looked On holy garbage, though by Homer cooked Roscommon.

4. A prick or scruple of conscience; uneasiness of conscience; compunction. Dryden.

QUALMISH Qualm"ish, a.

Defn: Sick at the stomach; affected with nausea or sickly languor; inclined to vomit. Shak. -- Qualm"ish*ly, adv. -- Qualm"ish*ness, n.

QUAMASH Quam"ash, n. (Bot.)

Defn: See Camass.

QUAMOCLIT Quam"o*clit, n. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: Formerly, a genus of plants including the cypress vine (Quamoclit vulgaris, now called Ipomoea Quamoclit). The genus is now merged in Ipomoea.

QUANDARY Quan"da*ry, n.; pl. Quandaries. Etym: [Prob. fr. OE. wandreth adversity, perplexity, Icel. wandræedhi difficulty, trouble, fr. vandr difficult.]

Defn: A state of difficulty or perplexity; doubt; uncertainty.

QUANDARY Quan"da*ry, v. t.

Defn: To bring into a state of uncertainty, perplexity, or difficulty. [Obs.] Otway.

QUANDONG Quan"dong, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The edible drupaceous fruit of an Australian tree (Fusanus acuminatus) of the Sandalwood family; -- called also quandang.

QUANDY Quan"dy, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The old squaw. [Local, U. S.]

QUANNET Quan"net, n.

Defn: A flat file having the handle at one side, so as to be used like a plane.

QUANT Quant, n.

Defn: A punting pole with a broad flange near the end to prevent it from sinking into the mud; a setting pole.

QUANTIC Quan"tic, n. Etym: [L. quantus how much. See Quantity.] (Math.)

Defn: A homogeneous algebraic function of two or more variables, in general containing only positive integral powers of the variables, and called quadric, cubic, quartic, etc., according as it is of the second, third, fourth, fifth, or a higher degree. These are further called binary, ternary, quaternary, etc., according as they contain two, three, four, or more variables; thus, the quantic is a binary cubic.

QUANTIFICATION Quan`ti*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [See Quantity.]

Defn: Modification by a reference to quantity; the introduction of the element of quantity. The quantification of the predicate belongs in part to Sir William Hamilton; viz., in its extension to negative propositions. De Quincey.

QUANTIFY Quan"ti*fy v. t. Etym: [L. quantus now much + -fy.]

Defn: To modify or qualify with respect to quantity; to fix or express the quantity of; to rate.

QUANTITATIVE Quan"ti*ta*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. quantitatif.]

Defn: Relating to quantity. -- Quan"ti*ta*tive*ly, adv. Quantitative analysis (Chem.), analysis which determines the amount or quantity of each ingredient of a substance, by weight or by volume; -- contrasted with qualitative analysis.

QUANTITIVE Quan"ti*tive, a. Etym: [See Quantity.]

Defn: Estimable according to quantity; quantitative. Sir K. Digby.

QUANTITIVELY Quan"ti*tive*ly, adv.

Defn: So as to be measurable by quantity; quantitatively.

QUANTITY Quan"ti*ty, n.; pl. Quantities. Etym: [F. quantite, L. quantitas, fr. quantus bow great, how much, akin to quam bow, E. how, who. See Who.]

1. The attribute of being so much, and not more or less; the property of being measurable, or capable of increase and decrease, multiplication and division; greatness; and more concretely, that which answers the question "How much"; measure in regard to bulk or amount; determinate or comparative dimensions; measure; amount; bulk; extent; size. Hence, in specific uses: (a) (Logic) The extent or extension of a general conception, that is, the number of species or individuals to which it may be applied; also, its content or comprehension, that is, the number of its constituent qualities, attributes, or relations. (b) (Gram.) The measure of a syllable; that which determines the time in which it is pronounced; as, the long or short quantity of a vowel or syllable. (c) (Mus.) The relative duration of a tone.

2. That which can be increased, diminished, or measured; especially (Math.), anything to which mathematical processes are applicable.

Note: Quantity is discrete when it is applied to separate objects, as in number; continuous, when the parts are connected, either in succession, as in time, motion, etc., or in extension, as by the dimensions of space, viz., length, breadth, and thickness.

3. A determinate or estimated amount; a sum or bulk; a certain portion or part; sometimes, a considerable amount; a large portion, bulk, or sum; as, a medicine taken in quantities, that is, in large quantities. The quantity of extensive and curious information which he had picked up during many months of desultory, but not unprofitable, study. Macaulay. Quantity of estate (Law), its time of continuance, or degree of interest, as in fee, for life, or for years. Wharton (Law Dict. ) -- Quantity of matter, in a body, its mass, as determined by its weight, or by its momentum under a given velocity. -- Quantity of motion (Mech.), in a body, the relative amount of its motion, as measured by its momentum, varying as the product of mass and velocity. -- Known quantities (Math.), quantities whose values are given. -- Unknown quantities (Math.), quantities whose values are sought.

QUANTIVALENCE Quan*tiv"a*lence, n. Etym: [L. quantus how much + E. valence.] (Chem.)

Defn: Valence. [Archaic]

QUANTIVALENT Quan*tiv"a*lent, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to quantivalence. [Archaic]

QUANTUM Quan"tum, n.; pl. Quanta. Etym: [L., neuter of quantus how great, how much. See Quantity,]

1. Quantity; amount. "Without authenticating . . . the quantum of the charges." Burke.

2. (Math.)

Defn: A definite portion of a manifoldness, limited by a mark or by a boundary. W. K. Clifford. Quantum meruit ( Etym: [L., as much as he merited] (Law), a count in an action grounded on a promise that the defendant would pay to the plaintiff for his service as much as he should deserve. -- Quantum sufficit (, or Quantum suff. Etym: [L., as much suffices] (Med.), a sufficient quantity. -- Quantum valebat ( Etym: [L., as much at it was worth] (Law), a count in an action to recover of the defendant, for goods sold, as much as they were worth. Blackstone.

QUAP Quap, v. i.

Defn: To quaver. [Obs.] See Quob.

QUAQUAVERSAL Qua`qua*ver"sal, a. Etym: [L. quaqua wheresoever, whithersoever + versus, p. p. of vertere to turn.]

1. Turning or dipping in any or every direction.

2. (Geol.)

Defn: Dipping toward all points of the compass round a center, as beds of lava round a crater.

QUAR Quar, n.

Defn: A quarry. [Prov. Eng.] B. Jonson.

QUARANTINE Quar"an*tine, n. Etym: [F. quarantaine, OF. quaranteine, fr. F. quarante forty, L. quadraginta, akin to quattuor four, and E. four: cf. It. quarantina, quarentine. See Four, and cf. Quadragesima.]