Q
1 Americannoun
PLURAL
Q's, Qs, q's, qs.-
the 17th letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
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any spoken sound represented by the letter Q or q, as in quick, acquit, or Iraq.
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something having the shape of a Q .
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a written or printed representation of the letter Q or q.
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a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter Q or q.
abbreviation
abbreviation
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quart; quarts.
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query.
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question.
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quintal.
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quire.
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the 17th in order or in a series.
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(sometimes lowercase) the medieval Roman numeral for 500.
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Biochemistry. glutamine.
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Physics. heat.
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Thermodynamics. a unit of heat energy, equal to 10 18 British thermal units (1.055 × 10 21 joules).
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Also called Q-factor. Electronics. the ratio of the reactance to the resistance of an electric circuit or component.
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Biblical Criticism. the symbol for material common to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke that was not derived from the Gospel of Mark.
abbreviation
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quarto.
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Quebec.
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Queen.
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question.
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(in Guatemala) quetzal; quetzals.
symbol
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chess queen
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question
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physics heat
abbreviation
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012abbreviation
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quartermaster
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Also: q. quarto
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Queen
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question
abbreviation
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quart
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quarter
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quarterly
noun
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the 17th letter and 13th consonant of the modern English alphabet
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a speech sound represented by this letter, in English usually a voiceless velar stop, as in unique and quick
symbol
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Etymology
Origin of q.
From the Latin word quadrāns
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.