quarter
Definitions
One of four equal parts of something.
四分之一
A period of three months, especially in finance.
季度（尤指财季）
A district or part of a town or city.
城区，地区
A US or Canadian coin worth 25 cents.
二十五美分硬币
To divide into four parts; to provide with lodging.
把……四等分；为……提供住处
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom Latin quartus 'fourth' (from quattuor, four), via Old French quartier. The core idea is 'one of four equal parts,' which radiates everywhere: a quarter of an hour, a quarter coin (a fourth of a dollar), a financial quarter (a fourth of the year), and a city quarter (originally a fourth section of a town).
Root quadru still carries 4 more wordsWhy It Means This
Quarter doesn't look like a quadru- word, but it's the same Latin 'four,' softened by centuries of French and English use. Once you see 'one of four parts' inside it, the wildly different senses line up: time (a quarter hour), money (a quarter dollar), the calendar (Q1, Q2...), and even geography (the Latin Quarter). The lodging sense ('quarters') comes from soldiers being assigned to a section of town.
Usage Guide
Telling time: 'a quarter past three' = 3:15, 'a quarter to four' = 3:45. Money: a quarter is the 25-cent coin in the US/Canada. Business: people say Q1–Q4 for the four quarters of the fiscal year. The plural quarters means 'lodging' (living quarters, the troops' quarters). The phrase 'at close quarters' means 'very near.'
Example Sentences
- 1.
Cut the apple into quarters and share it out.
- 2.
Sales rose sharply in the final quarter of the year.
- 3.
They got lost wandering the old quarter of the city.
- 4.
The soldiers were quartered in a nearby village.