quadratus

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [kʷaˈdraː.tʊs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [kʷaˈdraː.tus]^[1]

Forms

quadrātus (feminine quadrāta, neuter quadrātum), first/second-declension adjective; as a noun quadrātus m, quadrātum n, a square.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is the perfect participle of quadrō “to make square”.^[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Ennius, of Rōma quadrāta, an area on the Palatine.^[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant divided into four parts, as Varro's verses, and of an angle containing ninety degrees.^[2] It meant of stone squared, dressed, saxum quadrātum, square in shape, as Lucretius' turris quadrāta and Pliny's quadrātus pēs “square foot”, and cubical.^[2][5] Rōma quadrāta was an area on the Palatine of augural importance, and in Cato it was used of an army formed into a square.^[2] Of persons it meant squarely built, stocky, as in Varro, of style compact, as in Quintilian, and in mathematics squared or cubed.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant square, and as a noun a square.^[3] Medieval Latin used it of a stone block.^[6] It survives in Italian quadrato, Spanish cuadrado and French carré.^[1] Quadrātus was also a Roman surname.^[7]

Timeline

• 204–169 BC – Ennius mentions Rōma quadrāta.^[2][4]
• 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of an army in square.^[2][4]
• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of squared stone and stocky men.^[2][4]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it of compact style.^[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Divided into four; of an angle, right.^[2]
2. Squared, dressed; square; cubical.^[2]
3. Of an army, formed into a square.^[2]
4. Squarely built, stocky; of style, compact.^[2]
5. Of a number, squared.^[2]

Noun

1. A square; a square number.^[5][3]
2. (Medieval Latin) A stone block.^[6]

Word family

• quadrātārius
• quadrātiō

Related words

• quadrātē
• quadrātor
• quadrātum
• quadrātūra
• quadrō
• quadrula
• quadrus
• English quadrate
• English square

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press