Where does “quadkey” come from?

quadkey (English) comes from English quad, from English quadricycle, from English quadri-, from Latin quattŭor, from Portuguese quarto, from Old Portuguese quarto, from Latin quārtus, from Proto-Indo-European kʷeturtos — and.

quadkey (English): A key into a quadtree data structure

Definitions

  1. A key into a quadtree data structure

Ancestry of “quadkey”, step by step

quadkey traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English quad

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishquadFour shots of espresso; A kind of round-robin...
2EnglishquadricycleA four-wheeled pedal cycle; A four-wheeled...
3Englishquadri-API; Four
4Latinquattŭorfour; 4
5Portuguesequartoordinal form of quatro; fourth; quarter; fourth;...
6Old Portuguesequartoquarter
7Latinquārtusfourth
8Proto-Indo-Europeankʷeturtos
9Proto-Indo-Europeankʷetwóresfour
10Proto-Indo-Europeankʷe-and

via English key

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishkeyAn object designed to open and close a lock; An...
2EnglishcayA small, low island largely made of sand or coral
3SpanishCayokey island
4Taínocayosmall island
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷe-