Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “quadrant” come from?

Quadrant comes from Latin quadrantem, the accusative of quadrans, meaning one-quarter, derived from quattuor meaning four, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kauput-.

quadrant (English): One of the four sections made by dividing an area...

Definitions

  1. One of the four sections made by dividing an area...

Ancestry of “quadrant”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishquadrant—
2Latinquadratuma square, quadrate; nominative neuter singular of...
3Latinquadrātus—
4Latinquadrō—
5Latinquādrus—
6Latinquattŭor—
7Portuguesequartoordinal form of quatro; fourth; quarter; fourth;...
8Old Portuguesequartoquarter
9Latinquārtus—
10Proto-Indo-Europeankʷeturtos—
11Proto-Indo-Europeankʷetwóresfour
12Proto-Indo-Europeankʷe-and

Words derived from “quadrant”

  • quadrantic
  • quadrantectomy
  • interquadrant
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kʷe- →