quaternary
ərˌnɛr adjective
1.
consisting of four.
2.
arranged in fours.
3.
( initial capital letter ) Geology. noting or pertaining to the present period of earth history, forming the latter part of the Cenozoic Era, originating about 2 million years ago and including the Recent and Pleistocene Epochs. See table under geologic time.
4.
Metallurgy. (of an alloy) having four principal constituents.
noun
5.
a group of four.
6.
the number four.
7.
( initial capital letter ) Geology. the Quaternary Period or System.
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Quaternary
is always a great word to know.
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| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin quaternārius consisting of four, equivalent to quatern(ī) four at a time + -ārius -ary
1400–50; late Middle English < Latin quaternārius consisting of four, equivalent to quatern(ī) four at a time + -ārius -ary
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Quaternary
Collins
World English Dictionary
quaternary (kwəˈtɜːnərɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | consisting of fours or by fours |
| 2. | fourth in a series |
| 3. | chem containing or being an atom bound to four other atoms or groups: a quaternary ammonium compound |
| 4. | maths having four variables |
| —n , -naries | |
| 5. | the number four or a set of four |
| [C15: from Latin quaternārius each containing four, from quaternī by fours, distributive of quattuor four] | |
| Quaternary (kwəˈtɜːnərɪ) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | of, denoting, or formed in the most recent period of geological time, which succeeded the Tertiary period nearly two million years ago |
| —n | |
| 2. | the Quaternary the Quaternary period or rock system, divided into Pleistocene and Holocene (Recent) epochs or series |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
quaternary
c.1430, "consisting of four parts," from L. quaternarius "of four each," from quaterni "four each," from quater "four times," related to quattuor "four" (see four). In geological sense, attested from 1843, proposed 1829 by Fr. geologist Jules Pierre François Stanislas
Desnoyers (1800-1887) as name for "the fourth great epoch of geological time," but since it only comprises the age of man, and the other epochs are many hundred times longer, not all accepted it.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
quaternary qua·ter·nar·y (kwŏt'ər-něr'ē, kwə-tûr'nə-rē)
adj.
Consisting of four; in fours.
Relating to an atom bonded to four carbon atoms.
The member of a group or series that is fourth in order.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
quaternary  (kwŏt'ər-něr'ē) Pronunciation Key
Noun Quaternary. The second and last period of the Cenozoic Era, from about 2 million years ago to the present. During this time the continents were situated approximately as they are today, although the geography was different due to fluctuations in sea levels caused by the advance and retreat of ice sheets. Humans first appeared during this period. See Chart at geologic time. Adjective Relating to or having a carbon atom that is attached to four other carbon atoms in a molecule. Quaternary pentane, for example, contains five carbon atoms of which one is in the center and the other four are each attached to it. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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