Etymologically
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quartus

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈkʷaːr.tʊs][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkʷar.tus][1]

Forms

quārtus (feminine quārta, neuter quārtum); first/second-declension numeral[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *kwatworto-, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *kʷtur-tó- (“fourth”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres (“four”).[2][1] Schrijver, followed by de Vaan, explains the a and the voicing in quadr- within Latin.[2] Cognate with Ancient Greek τέταρτος (tétartos, “fourth”) and Sanskrit चतुर्थ (caturthá, “fourth”).[1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus counts three women, a fourth person and a fifth.[3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It was the ordinal “fourth” in number, in time and in rank, and quarta pars was a quarter.[3] Quārtum meant “for the fourth time”.[1] Cato, ranking farm land, puts olive groves fourth.[3]

Its feminine quarta (pars) gave Old French quarte and English quart in the early 14th century, and Medieval Latin in quārtō gave English quarto.[5] It survives in Italian quarto, French quart and Spanish cuarto.[1]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it in counting people.[3][4]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses quarta pars “a quarter”.[3][4]
  • early 14th century – English quart is recorded.[5]
  • late 15th century – English in quarto is recorded.[5]

Meanings

Numeral

  1. fourth (in number, time or rank).[3]
  2. quarta pars, a quarter.[3]

Word family

  • quarta
  • quārtānus
  • quārtārius
  • quarticeps
  • quartum
  • subquartus
  • superquartus
  • quartō

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com