quarantine

Etymology

From Medieval Latin quarentena and quarentīna (“40-day period, Lent”) via Middle English quarentine, Norman quarenteine, French quarenteine, and Italian quarantina, via proposed Late Latin *quaranta + -ēna (“forming distributive adjectives”), from Latin quadrāgintā (“four tens, 40”). Doublet of carene and quadragene. In reference to French politics, a calque of French quarantaine after edicts of Louis IX and quarantaine du Roi after a 1704 edict by Louis XIV. In reference to a severance of political relations, originally and chiefly an American euphemism for "blockade" necessary to keep the action from becoming an act of war under international law, chiefly popularized by the Roosevelt administration's 1937 approach to the Axis powers and the Kennedy administration's 1962 approach to Cuba during the missile crisis there.

noun

1. A period of 40 days, particularly
   1. (historical law) The 40-day period during which a widow is entitled to remain in her deceased husband's home while any dower is collected and returned.
      Querentyne is where a man dyeth seisyd of a maner place and other landis where of the wyfe ought to be indowed, than the woman shall hold the maner place by .xl. days within which tyme her dower shalbe to her assyned. c. 1523, John Rastell, Exposiciones Terminorum Legum Anglorum, fol. 4v
   2. (historical) The 40-day period of isolation required after 1448 at Venice's lazaret to avoid renewed outbreaks of the bubonic plague and identical policies in other locations.
   3. (historical) A 40-day period formerly imposed by the French king upon warring nobles during which they were forbidden from exacting revenge or continuing to fight.
      Quarantain of the King, is a Truce of forty Days appointed by S. Louis; during which it was expressly forbid to take any Revenge of the Relation or Friends of People. 1728, Ephraim Chambers, Cyclopaedia, "Quarantaine"
      Forty days, called the King's quarantain, were allowed the friends or relations of a principal in a private war to grant or find security. 1818, Alexander Ranken, The History of France, volume IV, page 233
2. A period, instance, or state of isolation from the general public or from native livestock and flora enacted to prevent the spread of any contagious disease.
   From Toulon... Our Gallyes which were upon the point of finishing their Quarantaine, and entering into this Port, have been hindred from it by th'arrival of three others that were out a roaming. 1649, Moderate Intelligencer, No. 236, p. 2279
   Making of all ships coming from thence... to perform their Quarantine (for 30 days as Sir Richard Browne expressed it... contrary to the import of the word; though in the general acceptation, it signifies now the thing, not the time spent in doing it). 1663 Nov. 26, Samuel Pepys, Diary, Vol. IV, p. 399
   This dreadful malady might be annihilated by making all the dogs in Great Britain perform a kind of quarantine, by shutting them up for a certain number of weeks. 1796, Edward Darwin, Zoonomia, volume II, page 265
   The lepers often sought a voluntary death as the only escape from their perpetual quarantine. 1859, John Mounteney Jephson et al., Narrative of a Walking Tour in Brittany, page 77
   Formerly great stress was laid on the value of quarantine; all plant imports were grown in a quarantine ground under the supervision of a Government botanist until it was certain that they had no disease. '1922, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 12th ed., Vol. XXX, p. 925
   2. Tsai called on the public not to incite hatred or blame others for the epidemic. She then offered thanks to everyone who has dutifully followed home quarantine and self-health management protocols. 20 March 2020, Keoni Everington, “Next 14 Days Are Critical for Taiwan's Wuhan Virus Battle: Tsai”, in Taiwan News
   The tourists were put in quarantine to ensure none of them would be able to spread the plague.
3. (figurative) A similar period, instance, or state of rigidly enforced or self-enforced detention or isolation.
   Now treating Sandwich seems the fittest choice For Spain, there to condole and to rejoyce: He meets the French, but to avoid all harms, Slips into Groine, Embassies bears no Arms. There let him languish a long Quarrentine, And ne're to England come, till he be clean. 1667, John Denham, The Second Advice to a Painter, pages 13–14
   What I wish to put under Quarantine are family events—& all allusion thereto past—present—or to come. 1816 Nov. 27, Lord Byron, Letter
4. A place where such isolation is enforced, a lazaret.
   They bring wood, millet, rye, barley, and a little wheat to the quarantine to barter with the Cossaks for salt. 1806 April, Reginald Heber, Journal
5. (politics, figurative) A blockade of trade, suspension of diplomatic relations, or other action whereby one country seeks to isolate another.
   When a great power establishes diplomatic quarantine against them it is well not to go too far on a course on which they appear to be embarking with a light heart. 1891 Dec. 16, New York Times, p. 1
   President Roosevelt today challenged the effectiveness of a policy of neutrality in keeping the United States at peace and advocated instead a collective ‘quarantine’ of aggressor nations. 1937 Oct. 6, New York Herald Tribune, p. 1
   To halt this offensive buildup, a strict quarantine on all offensive military equipment under shipment to Cuba is being initiated. All ships of any kind bound for Cuba from whatever nation or port will, if found to contain cargoes of offensive weapons, be turned back. This quarantine will be extended, if needed, to other types of cargo and carries. 1962 Oct. 22, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Address to the American People
6. (computing, figurative) An isolation of one program, drive, computer, etc. from the rest of a computer network to limit the damage from a bug, computer virus, etc..
   Also included is Canary, a ‘quarantine’ program for use as a sample to test for a virus by pairing it with new or suspect programs. 1988 Mar. 21, InfoWorld
   At least one expert says... that a quarantine can be futile if the software is infected with a time-activated virus. 1989 Feb. 2, American Banker, p. 8
7. (computing, figurative) The program, drive, computer, etc. thus isolated.
   If they click on the link then they're added to your approved senders list and their message is moved to your inbox; if they don't, the message stays in quarantine. 2004 Dec., .Net, No. 131, p. 71

verb

1. (transitive) To place into isolation to prevent the spread of any contagious disease.
   Venice began quarantining incoming ships for 40 days in 1448 to prevent further outbreaks of bubonic plague.
   We... sent our boat on board a French man of war lying in the bay, with a letter for our consul; captain Murray not wishing to have any communication with the shore, for fear of being quarantined at the next port he went to. 1803 Feb. 17, Maryland Gazette, Letter
   On sanitary grounds Morocco could certainly show better cause for placing a quarantine on Spain than Spain for quarantining Morocco. 1866 July 26, The Times, p. 10
2. (intransitive) To enter or stay in quarantine, particularly to self-quarantine to avoid an epidemic disease.
   International travelers must quarantine themselves at their own expense in a designated hotel for 14 days upon arrival.
   The Mauretania... is expected to ‘quarantine’ at New York at 10 a.m. tomorrow. 1928 Aug. 7, Daily News, p. 7
   She brought her dog home, and that's a big step. Dogs have to quarantine for six months in England. 1995 May 12, Daily Oklahoman
   Australians returning from overseas have been required to quarantine for 14 days since 15 March, with mandatory stays inside hotel rooms enforced since 29 March. 2020 April 10, The Guardian
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To impose a quarantine, to establish quarantine regulations.
   It has just been announced that Norfolk, Va., and Holly Springs, Miss., have quarantined against Memphis. 1879 July 22, The Times, p. 12
4. (figurative, transitive) Synonym of isolate more generally.
   J.F.K. "quarantined" Cuba rather than blockading it to avoid needless escalation of the conflict.
   ...where I should be detained, Quarantined, smoaked & vinegard... 1804 Dec. 20, Washington Irving, Letter
   No computer system or even individual PC is safe from a virus unless it is isolated—quarantined, in effect—from all others. 1988 Jan. 31, Los Angeles Times, p. 1
5. (figurative, transitive) Synonym of restrict.
   Did any moral taint hang about me that quarantined my entrance into its circle? 1850 July 27, Chamber's Edinburgh Journal, p. 49
   The parliament of the island... quarantined Great Britain against sending any potatoes into the island. c. 1912, E.H. Grubb et al., Potato, page 479