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quar·tan

(kwôrtn)

adj.

Occurring every fourth day, counting inclusively, or every 72 hours. Used of a fever.

A malarial fever recurring every 72 hours.

[Middle English quartaine, from Old French, from Latin quārtāna, from quārtānus, of the fourth, from quārtus, fourth; see k^wetwer- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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