Where does “quire” come from?

Quire comes from Middle English quayer, from Old French quaer, from Vulgar Latin quaternus meaning a set of four, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European kauput-.

quire (English): One-twentieth of a ream of paper; a collection of...

Definitions

  1. One-twentieth of a ream of paper; a collection of...

Ancestry of “quire”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishquerA choir singers who musically accompany a liturgy
2Old Frenchcuerheart
3Vulgar Latin*corem
4Latincorheart; soul, mind
5Proto-Italickordheart
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱḗrheart

Words derived from “quire

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱḗr
quire — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer