n. 1. A set of 24 or sometimes 25 sheets of paper of the same size and stock; one twentieth of a ream. 2. A collection of leaves of parchment or paper, folded one within the other, in a manuscript or book. [Middle English quayer, four double sheets of paper, from Old French quaer, from Vulgar Latin *quaternus, from Latin quaternī, set of four, four each, from quater, four times; see kwetwer- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.