quarter

The word “quarter” means one of four equal parts into which something is divided. In plain terms, a fourth of something — of a whole, an hour, a year, a dollar, or a town — plus, as a verb, to house troops.

“Quarter” is pronounced KAW-tuh (/ˈk(w)ɔɹ.tɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “quarter” used in a sentence: “Cut the apple into quarters.”

Words with a similar meaning to “quarter” include trimester, cour and stop.

The opposite of “quarter” — its antonyms — is quadruple.

Depending on how it is used, “quarter” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “quarter” comes from Latin. From Latin quartarius, related to quartus, "fourth" — the same root behind quart and quarterly.

“Quarter” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

Cutting a pizza into four equal slices gives four quarters, and each slice is a quarter of the whole. Other everyday examples include a quarter of an hour, which is fifteen minutes, a quarter of a year, meaning three months, and a US 25-cent coin.

They describe the same fraction — one part of four equal parts, or one over four. 'Quarter' is the everyday term in both British and American English, while 'a fourth' appears mainly in American English and in maths. Both are correct and mean exactly the same amount.

Four quarters make one whole. Because a quarter is defined as one of four equal parts, putting all four back together rebuilds the complete original. Four quarter-hours make an hour, four quarters make a full dollar, and four three-month quarters make a full year.