quarter

Etymology 1

From Middle English quarter, from Anglo-Norman quarter, from Latin quartarius, from quartus. Compare Spanish cuarto (“room, quarters; quarter”). Doublet of quartier.

noun

1. A fourth part of something.
   1. (in general sense) Each of four equal parts into which something can be divided; a fourth part.
      I ate a quarter of the pizza.
      For companies such as Trans Pennine Express, it will be even harder. It has the unwelcome claim to being Britain's worst train operator, with recent statistics from the Office of Rail and Road showing it cancelled nearly a quarter of its services in February, with lack of available train crew a real problem. April 5 2023, Philip Haigh, “Comment: Pay deal a positive result”, in RAIL, number 980, page 3
   2. (now chiefly historical) A measure of capacity used chiefly for grain or coal, varying greatly in quantity by time and location.
      One of these is 1 Hen. V, cap. 10, defining the quarter of corn to be eight struck bushels, and putting fines on purveyors who take more. 1882, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume 4, page 204
   3. A fourth part of a pound; approximately 113 grams.
   4. (historical) A measure of length; originally a fourth part of an ell, now chiefly a fourth part of a yard.
   5. (now historical) A fourth part of the night; one of the watches or divisions of the night.
   6. (now chiefly financial) A fourth part of the year; 3 months; a term or season.
   7. (time) A fourth part of an hour; a period of fifteen minutes, especially with reference to the quarter before or after the hour.
   8. (now chiefly historical) A fourth part of a hundredweight.
   9. (heraldry) A fourth part of a coat of arms, or the charge on it, larger than a canton and normally on the upper dexter side, formed by a perpendicular line from the top meeting a horizontal line from the side.
   10. (Canada, US) A quarter-dollar, divided into 25 cents; the coin of that value minted in the United States or Canada.
   11. (sports) One of four equal periods into which a game is divided.
   12. (Chester, historical) A quarter of an acre or 40 roods.
2. Place or position.
   1. A region or place.
   2. Each of four parts into which the earth or sky is divided, corresponding to the four cardinal points of the compass.
   3. A division or section of a town or city, especially having a particular character of its own, or associated with a particular group etc.
   4. One's residence or dwelling-place; (in plural) rooms, lodgings, especially as allocated to soldiers or domestic staff.
   5. (figurative, archaic) A topic or area of endeavour.
      “I'll tell you something, too,” retorted the captain, duskily flushing. “I wouldn't sail this ship for the man you are, if you went upon your knees. I've dealt with gentlemen up to now.” “I can tell you the names of a number of gentlemen you'll never deal with any more, and that's the whole of Longhurst's gang,” said Jim. “I'll put your pipe out in that quarter, my friend. Here, rout out your traps as quick as look at it, and take your vermin along with you. I'll have a captain in, this very night, that's a sailor, and some sailors to work for him.” 1892, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 10, in The Wrecker
   6. (nautical) The aftmost part of a vessel's side, roughly from the last mast to the stern.
      I was one morning walking the deck, when Rogers, whose watch it was, sitting upon the quarter, called to me in his usual style, ‘Come here, Bill.’ 1808–10, William Hickey, Memoirs of a Georgian Rake, Folio Society 1995, p. 80
      My men, the schooner coming up on our weather quarter is a Portuguese pirate. 1863, Charles Reade, Hard Cash
   7. (farriery) The part on either side of a horse's hoof between the toe and heel, the side of its coffin.
      […] at last she kicked right over the carriage pole and fell down, after giving me a severe blow on my near quarter. 1877, Anna Sewell, chapter 23, in Black Beauty
3. (often plural) A section (of a population), especially one having a particular set of values or interests.
   opposition to the policy came from an unexpected quarter, as well as from certain quarters which had historically opposed it
   all quarters of the socialist movement; praise from Conservative quarters
   It is something to have that sacerdotal position so frankly recognized; but, I repeat, the ground of objection is an extraordinary one, coming as it does from a Liberal quarter in politics. 1897, National and English Review, page 499
   V. Gene Robinson's installation as an Episcopal bishop was greeted largely by silence from gay quarters. 2003, The Advocate, page 44
   […] and principled criticism of Obama from black quarters. 2016, Michael Eric Dyson, The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
4. (obsolete) Relations between people.
5. Accommodation given to a defeated opponent; mercy; exemption from being killed.
   Hard fighting and long labour they had still; for the Southrons were bold men and grim, and fierce in despair, and the Easterlings were strong and war-hardened and asked for no quarter. 1955, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King, page 1110
6. Short forms.
   1. (now rare, rugby, American football) A quarterback.
   2. (military slang, now rare) A quartermaster; a quartermaster sergeant.
      Tietjens said: ‘Send the Canadian sergeant-major to me at the double….’ to the quarter. 1925, Ford Madox Ford, “Parade's End”, in No More Parades, Penguin, published 2012, page 360
   3. A quarterfinal.

adj

1. Pertaining to an aspect of a quarter.
2. (chiefly) Consisting of a fourth part, a quarter (¹⁄₄, 25%).
   a quarter hour; a quarter century; a quarter note; a quarter pound
3. (chiefly) Related to a three-month term, a quarter of a year.
   A quarter day is one terminating a quarter of the year.
   A quarter session is one held quarterly at the end of a quarter.

verb

1. (transitive) To divide into quarters; to divide by four.
2. (transitive) To provide housing for military personnel or other equipment.
   Quarter the horses in the third stable.
3. (intransitive) To lodge; to have a temporary residence.
4. (transitive) To quartersaw.
   But there is, as in other woods, a great deal of difference between this and the quartered timber. 1758, Thomas Hale, A Compleat Body Of Husbandry, page 333

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French cartayer.

verb

1. (obsolete) To drive a carriage so as to prevent the wheels from going into the ruts, or so that a rut shall be between the wheels.