QUATERNARY - 9 definitions found
quaternary adj 1: consisting of or especially arranged in sets of four; "quaternate leaves"; "a quaternary compound" [syn: quaternate, quaternary] 2: coming next after the third and just before the fifth in position or time or degree or magnitude; "the quaternary period of geologic time extends from the end of the tertiary period to the present" [syn: fourth, 4th, quaternary] n 1: last 2 million years [syn: Quaternary, Quaternary period}, Age of Man] 2: the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one [syn: four, 4, IV, tetrad, quatern, quaternion, quaternary, quaternity, quartet, quadruplet, foursome, Little Joe] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003) quaternary I. adjective Etymology: Latin quaternarius, from quaterni four each Date: 1605 1. a. of, relating to, or consisting of four units or members b. of, relating to, or being a number system with a base of four 2. capitalized of, relating to, or being the geological period from the end of the Tertiary to the present time or the corresponding system of rocks — see geologic time table 3. consisting of, containing, or being an atom bonded to four other atoms II. noun (plural -ries) Date: 1880 1. capitalized the Quaternary period or system of rocks 2. a member of a group fourth in order or rank Oxford English Reference Dictionary
English Explanatory Dictionary quaternary kwəˈtə:nərɪ adj. & n. --adj. 1 having four parts. 2 (Quaternary) Geol. of or relating to the most recent period in the Cenozoic era with evidence of many species of present-day plants and animals (cf. PLEISTOCENE, HOLOCENE). °Cf. Appendix II. --n. (pl. -ies) 1 a set of four things. 2 (Quaternary) Geol. the Quaternary period or system. [ME f. L quaternarius f. quaterni distrib. of quattuor four] Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Quaternary \Qua*ter"na*ry\, a. [L. quaternarius consisting of four each, containing four, fr. quaterni four each, fr. quattuor four: cf. F. quaternaire. See Four.] 1. Consisting of four; by fours, or in sets of four. 2. (Geol.) Later than, or subsequent to, the Tertiary; Post-tertiary; as, the Quaternary age, or Age of man. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) Quaternary \Qua*ter"na*ry\, n. [L. numerus quaternarius: cf. F. quaternaire.] 1. The number four. --Boyle. 2. (Geol.) The Quaternary age, era, or formation. See the Chart of Geology. Soule\'s Dictionary of English Synonyms quaternary a. Four, fourfold, consisting of four. Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 41 Moby Thesaurus words for "quaternary": Little Joe, biquadrate, biquadratic, four, four-legged, four-part diaphony, four-rayed, foursome, foursquare, quad, quadrangle, quadrature, quadrennium, quadric, quadrilateral, quadrille, quadrinomial, quadrivalent, quadruped, quadruplet, quartet, quartic, quartile, quatern, quaternion, quaternity, quatrefoil, rectangle, square, square dance, squaring, tetractinal, tetrad, tetragon, tetragram, tetragrammaton, tetrahedron, tetralogy, tetraphony, tetrapody, tetravalent |
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