Etymologically
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quarta

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Forms

quārta f (genitive quārtae); first declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin quārtus (“fourth”), the feminine used as a noun with pars (“part”) understood.[2][1][3] For the fourth hour of the day, hōra (“hour”) is understood.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Among the Classical authors VoLat cites for the sense “a fourth part”, Vitruvius is the earliest.[5][3]

Semantic evolution

In Classical Latin it meant a quarter, in Vitruvius, Seneca, Pliny and Quintilian,[5][1] and in Horace the fourth hour.[4]

Medieval Latin used it for many things counted in quarters:[6][3] a quart of grain or wine,[6][7] a fourth part of a mansus and a land measure,[6][7] a subdivision of a pagus,[6] a fourth part of the tithe or of the harvest due as rent,[6][3] and premises or a quarter of a town.[6][7][3] In law it was the fourth part of an estate: in the Kingdom of Naples the portion a husband gave his bride,[7] elsewhere the share due to younger sons.[7] A charter of 1286 calls the area around Angers its quarta.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius uses it of a fourth part.[5][3]
  • 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of the fourth hour.[4][3]
  • c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it of a quarter.[1][3]
  • 800 – First medieval record, in the capitularies.[3]
  • 1233 – Abbey statutes allow a fourth part of fat in the cooked dishes.[7]
  • 1248 – A charter requires a quarta of oats from each household.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A fourth part, a quarter.[2][1][5]
  2. The fourth hour of the day.[4]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A quart, a measure of grain or wine.[6][7]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A fourth part of a mansus; a land measure.[6][7]
  5. (Medieval Latin) A subdivision of a pagus.[6]
  6. (Medieval Latin) A fourth part of the tithe; a due of a fourth of the crop.[6][3]
  7. (Medieval Latin) Premises; a quarter of a town.[6][7][3]
  8. (Medieval Latin, law) A fourth part of an estate, as a bride's portion or the share of younger sons.[7]

Usage notes

Quarta was also a Roman female praenomen.[2][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c d Simpson, D. P. (1959), Cassell's New Latin Dictionary, London: Cassell
  5. ^ a b c d e VoLat: Vocabolario della Lingua Latina (2018), Milan: Hoepli
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre