quartern

[ kwawr-tern ]

/ ˈkwɔr tərn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quartern ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Chiefly British.

a quarter, or a fourth part, especially of certain weights and measures, as of a pound, ounce, peck, or pint.

Nearby words

Origin of quartern

1250–1300; Middle English quartroun, quartron, quartern < Old French quarteron, derivative of quart fourth. See quart¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quartern

Yet, even so, the price of the quartern loaf rose to more than fifteenpence, and we were brought to the verge of civil war.
The Life of Napoleon I (Volumes, 1 and 2)|John Holland Rose
Mrs. P. Green, with her accustomed liberality, sent out for a quartern of gin and a quarter of an ounce of brown rappee.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 1, December 11, 1841|Various
On my way I called at a small corn-chandler's, and bought a quartern of flour done up in a thin and utterly insufficient bag.
The Uninhabited House|Mrs. J. H. Riddell
May 27—Price of the quartern loaf fixed by the Mayor of Worcester at 1s.
Worcestershire in the Nineteenth Century|T. C. Turberville

"A quartern of gin and three outs, Caroline," cried a second, who was more familiar.
The Mysteries of London, v. 1/4|George W. M. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for quartern

quartern

/ (ˈkwɔːtən) /

noun

a fourth part of certain weights or measures, such as a peck or a pound

Also called: quartern loaf British

a type of loaf 4 inches square, used esp for making sandwiches
any loaf weighing 1600 g when baked

Word Origin for quartern

C13: from Old French quarteron, from quart a quarter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

quartern

noun Chiefly British.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of quartern

Examples from the Web for quartern

quartern

noun

Word Origin for quartern