Where does “quarter-hour” come from?
quarter-hour (English) comes from English quarter, from Middle English quarter, from Anglo-Norman quarter, from Latin quartarius, from Latin quārtus, from Proto-Indo-European kʷeturtos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷetwóres, from Proto-Indo-European kʷe- — and.
quarter-hour (English): quarter of an hour; period of time equal to 15...
Definitions
- quarter of an hour; period of time equal to 15...
Ancestry of “quarter-hour”, step by step
quarter-hour traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English quarter
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | quarter | "A fourth part of something."; "Place or... |
| 2 | Middle English | quarter | A quarter fourth part of something |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | quarter | — |
| 4 | Latin | quartarius | quartarius, a Roman unit of liquid measure equivalent to about 0.14 L |
| 5 | Latin | quārtus | fourth |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷeturtos | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷetwóres | four |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷe- | and |
via English hour
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | hour | A time period of sixty minutes; one twenty-fourth... |
| 2 | Middle English | houre | hour; A time, occasion, or moment; A canonical... |
| 3 | Old French | houre | hour; time; moment to do something |
| 4 | Latin | hōra | hour |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ὥρα | any defined period of time; season; climate |
| 6 | Proto-Hellenic | *worā | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wēr- | true |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |