Quasimodo, kwas-i-mō′do, n. the first Sunday after Easter, Low Sunday. [From the first words of the introit for the day, 1 Peter, ii. 2; L. Quasi modo geniti infantes, as new-born babes, &c.]
Quass, kwas, n. See Kvass.
Quassation, kwas-sā′shun, n. the act of shaking: the state of being shaken: concussion.—adj. Quas′sative. [L. quassatio—quassāre, to shake.]
Quassia, kwash′i-a, n. a South American tree, the bitter wood and bark of which are used as a tonic.—ns. Quass′ine, Quass′ite, the bitter principle of quassia-wood, the Bitter-wood of the West Indies. [So called by Linnæus from a negro named Quassi, who first discoverer its value against fever.]
Quat, kwot, n. (Shak.) a pimple: an insignificant person.
Quatch, kwoch, adj. (Shak.) squat, flat.
Quatercentenary, qua-ter-sen′te-nā-ri, n. a 400th anniversary.
Quaterfoil, kat′ėr-foil, n. See Quarterfoil.
Quaternary, kwa-tėr′nar-i, adj. consisting of four: by fours: pertaining to strata more recent than the Upper Tertiary: (math.) containing four variables.—n. a group of four things.—adjs. Quāt′ern, Quāter′nāte, composed of, or arranged in, sets of four.—n. Quāter′nion, a set or group of four: a word of four syllables: (pl.) in mathematics, a calculus of peculiar power and generality invented by Sir W. R. Hamilton of Dublin, as a geometry, primarily concerning itself with the operations by which one directed quantity or vector is changed into another.—v.t. to divide into quaternions: (Milt.) to divide into companies.—ns. Quāter′nionist, a student of quaternions; Quātern′ity, the state of being four, a group of four.—Quaternary number, ten; so called by the Pythagoreans because equal to 1 + 2 + 3 + 4.
Quatorze, ka-torz′, n. the four aces, kings, queens, knaves, or tens in the game of piquet.—n. Quator′zain, a stanza or poem of fourteen lines. [Fr.]