quadro

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkʷa.droː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkʷaː.dro]^[1]

Forms

quadrō (present infinitive quadrāre, perfect active quadrāvī, supine quadrātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from quadrum or quadrus “square”, from quattuor “four”.^[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is from Varro, of squaring.^[2] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant to make square, square up timber or stone, as in Columella, and figuratively to put into shape.^[2][3][5] In Horace it meant to make four times as great, and in Virgil, intransitively, to form a rectangle.^[2] From Cicero it meant to square, accord, fit in with.^[2]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to correspond with, agree, fit exactly.^[6] Through Vulgar Latin *exquadrāre and Old French esquire it gave English square in the mid-13th century, and Medieval Latin quareia, a place where stones are squared, gave English quarry.^[7] It survives in Italian quadrare and Spanish cuadrar.^[1]

Timeline

• 116–27 BC – Varro uses it of squaring.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of fitting in.^[2][4]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of forming a rectangle.^[2][4]
• mid-13th century – English square is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Verb

1. To make square, square up; to put into shape.^[2]
2. To quadruple.^[2]
3. To form a rectangle.^[2]
4. To square, fit, accord with.^[2]

Word family

• conquadrō
• perquadrātus
• quadrātiō
• quadrātum
• quadrātūra
• quadrātus
• quadrātārius
• quadrātē
• quadrātor

Related words

• quadrus
• quattuor
• English square
• English quarry

References

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