Etymologically
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quadratus

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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

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