Chapter 1249

4. (Math.) The quotient of two vectors, or of two directed right lines in space, considered as depending on four geometrical elements, and as expressible by an algebraic symbol of quadrinomial form.

&hand; The science or calculus of quaternions is a new mathematical method, in which the conception of a quaternion is unfolded and symbolically expressed, and is applied to various classes of algebraical, geometrical, and physical questions, so as to discover theorems, and to arrive at the solution of problems.

Sir W. R. Hamilton.

Quaternion <Xpage=1175>

Qua*ter"ni*on , v. t. To divide into quaternions, files, or companies.

Milton.

Quaternity <Xpage=1175>

Qua*ter"ni*ty (?) , n. [LL. quaternitas , fr. L. quaterni four each: cf. F. quaternit\'82 .] 1. The number four. [Obs.]

Sir T. Browne.

2. The union of four in one, as of four persons; -- analogous to the theological term trinity .

Quateron <Xpage=1175>

Qua"ter*on (?) , n. See 2d Quarteron .

Quatorzain <Xpage=1175>

Qua*torz"ain (?) , n. [See Quatorze .] A poem of fourteen lines; a sonnet.

R. H. Stoddard.

Quatorze <Xpage=1175>

Qua*torze" (?) , n. [F. quatorze fourteen, L. quattuordecim . See Fourteen .] The four aces, kings, queens, knaves, or tens, in the game of piquet; -- so called because quatorze counts as fourteen points.

Quatrain <Xpage=1175>

Quat"rain (?) , n. [F., fr. quatre four, L. quattuor , quatuor . See Four .] (Pros.) A stanza of four lines rhyming alternately.

Dryden.

Quatre <Xpage=1175>

Qua"tre (?) , n. [F.] A card, die. or domino, having four spots, or pips

Quatrefeuille, Quatrefoil <Xpage=1175>

Qua"tre*feuille (?) , Qua"tre*foil (?) , n. [F. quatre feuilles .] Same as Quarterfoil .

Quatuor <Xpage=1175>

Quat"u*or (?) , n. [F., fr. L. quattuor , quatuor , four. See Quartet .] (Mus.) A quartet; -- applied chiefly to instrumental compositions.

Quave <Xpage=1175>

Quave (?) , n. See Quaver . [Obs.]

Quave <Xpage=1175>

Quave , v. i. To quaver. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]

Quavemire <Xpage=1175>

Quave"mire` (?) , n. See Quagmire . [Obs.]

Quaver <Xpage=1175>

Qua"ver , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Quavered (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Quavering .] [OE. quaven to shake, to tremble; cf. LG. quabbeln to shake, to be soft, of fat substances, quabbe a fat lump of flesh, a dewlap, D. kwabbe , and E. quiver , v.] 1. To tremble; to vibrate; to shake.

Sir I. Newton.

2. Especially, to shake the voice; to utter or form sound with rapid or tremulous vibrations, as in singing; also, to trill on a musical instrument

Quaver <Xpage=1175>

Qua"ver , v. t. To utter with quavers.

We shall hear her quavering them . . . to some sprightly airs of the opera. Addison.

Quaver <Xpage=1175>

Qua"ver , n. 1. A shake, or rapid and tremulous vibration, of the voice, or of an instrument of music.

2. (Mus.) An eighth note. See Eighth .

Quaverer <Xpage=1175>

Qua"ver*er (?) , n. One who quavers; a warbler.

Quay <Xpage=1175>

Quay (?) , n. [F. quai . See Key quay.] A mole, bank, or wharf, formed toward the sea, or at the side of a harbor, river, or other navigable water, for convenience in loading and unloading vessels. [Written also key .]

Quay <Xpage=1175>

Quay (?) , v. t. To furnish with quays.

Quayage <Xpage=1175>

Quay"age (?) , n. [F.] Wharfage. [Also keyage .]

Quayd <Xpage=1175>

Quayd (?) , p. p. of Quail . [Obs.]

Spenser.

Que <Xpage=1175>

Que (?) , n. [Cf. 3d Cue .] A half farthing. [Obs.]

Queach <Xpage=1175>

Queach (?) , n. [Cf. Quick .] A thick, bushy plot; a thicket. [Obs.]

Chapman.

Queach <Xpage=1175>

Queach , v. i. [Cf. E. quich , v. i., quick , v. i.; or AS. cweccan to shake.] To stir; to move. See Quick , v. i. [Obs.]

Queachy <Xpage=1175>

Queach"y (?) , a. 1. Yielding or trembling under the feet, as moist or boggy ground; shaking; moving. "The queachy fens." "Godwin's queachy sands."

Drayton.

2. Like a queach; thick; bushy. [Obs.]

Cockeram.

Quean <Xpage=1175>

Quean (?) , n. [Originally, a woman, AS. cwene ; akin to OS. quena , OHG. quena , Icel. kona , Goth qin<?/ , and AS. cw\'82n , also to Gr. <?/ woman, wife, Skr. gn\'be goddess. Cf. Queen .] 1. A woman; a young or unmarried woman; a girl. [Obs. or Scot.]

Chaucer.

2. A low woman; a wench; a slut. "The dread of every scolding quean ."

Gay.

Queasily <Xpage=1175>

Quea"si*ly (?) , adv. In a queasy manner.

Queasiness <Xpage=1175>

Quea"si*ness , n. The state of being queasy; nausea; qualmishness; squeamishness.

Shak.

<page="1176"> Page 1176

Queasy <Xpage=1176>

Quea"sy (?) , a. [Icel. kweisa pain; cf. Norw. kveis sickness after a debauch.] 1. Sick at the stomach; affected with nausea; inclined to vomit; qualmish.

2. Fastidious; squeamish; delicate; easily disturbed; unsettled; ticklish. " A queasy question."

Shak.

Some seek, when queasy conscience has its qualms. Cowper.

Quebec group <Xpage=1176>

Que*bec" group` (?) . (Geol.) The middle of the three groups into which the rocks of the Canadian period have been divided in the American Lower Silurian system. See the Chart of Geology .

Quebracho <Xpage=1176>

Que*bra"cho (?) , n. [Sp.] (Bot.) A Chilian apocynaceous tree ( Aspidosperma Quebracho ); also, its bark, which is used as a febrifuge, and for dyspn&oe;a of the lung, or bronchial diseases; -- called also white quebracho , to distinguish it from the red quebracho , a Mexican anacardiaceous tree ( Loxopterygium Lorentzii ) whose bark is said to have similar properties.

J. Smith (Dict. Econ. Plants).

Quebrith <Xpage=1176>

Queb"rith (?) , n. [OE. quebrit , quibrith , Ar. kibr\'c6t .] (Alchemy) Sulphur. [Obs.]

Quech, Queck <Xpage=1176>

Quech (?) , Queck (?) , v. i. [Cf. Quick , Queach .] A word occurring in a corrupt passage of Bacon's Essays, and probably meaning, to stir, to move.

Queen <Xpage=1176>

Queen (?) , n. [OE. quen , quene , queen, quean, AS. cw&emac;n wife, queen, woman; akin to OS. qu\'ben wife, woman, Icel. kv\'ben wife, queen, Goth. q&emac;ns . &root;221. See Quean .] 1. The wife of a king.

2. A woman who is the sovereign of a kingdom; a female monarch; as, Elizabeth, queen of England; Mary, queen of Scots.

In faith, and by the heaven's quene . Chaucer.

3. A woman eminent in power or attractions; the highest of her kind; as, a queen in society; -- also used figuratively of cities, countries, etc. " This queen of cities." " Albion, queen of isles."

Cowper.

4. The fertile, or fully developed, female of social bees, ants, and termites.

5 <Xpage=1176>

5 , (Chess) The most powerful, and except the king the most important, piece in a set of chessmen.

6. A playing card bearing the picture of a queen; as, the queen of spades .

<-- 7. A male homosexual, esp. one who is effeminate or dresses in women's clothing. Sometimes pejorative. -->

Queen apple . [Cf. OE. quyne aple quince apple.] A kind of apple; a queening. " Queen apples and red cherries." Spenser . -- Queen bee (Zo\'94l.) , a female bee, especially the female of the honeybee. See Honeybee . <-- the fully developed female in a colony of bees, ants, or termites which lays eggs. Usually there is only one in a colony; the queen is often somewhat larger than other bees, and is specially fed to develop her egg-laying capacity. (b) (Fig.) A woman who feels and acts as though she is of special importance. Usu. pejorative. --> -- Queen conch (Zo\'94l.) , a very large West Indian cameo conch ( Cassis cameo ). It is much used for making cameos. -- Queen consort , the wife of a reigning king. Blackstone . -- Queen dowager , the widow of a king. -- Queen gold , formerly a revenue of the queen consort of England, arising from gifts, fines, etc. -- Queen mother , a queen dowager who is also mother of the reigning king or queen. -- Queen of May . See May queen , under May . -- Queen of the meadow (Bot.) , a European herbaceous plant ( Spir\'91a Ulmaria ). See Meadowsweet . -- Queen of the prairie (Bot.) , an American herb ( Spir\'91a lobata ) with ample clusters of pale pink flowers. -- Queen pigeon (Zo\'94l.) , any one of several species of very large and handsome crested ground pigeons of the genus Goura , native of New Guinea and the adjacent islands. They are mostly pale blue, or ash-blue, marked with white, and have a large occipital crest of spatulate feathers. Called also crowned pigeon , goura , and Victoria pigeon . -- Queen regent , &or; Queen regnant , a queen reigning in her own right. -- Queen's Bench . See King's Bench . -- Queen's counsel , Queen's evidence . See King's counsel , King's evidence , under King . -- Queen's delight (Bot.) , an American plant ( Stillinqia sylvatica ) of the Spurge family, having an herbaceous stem and a perennial woody root. -- Queen's metal (Metal.) , an alloy somewhat resembling pewter or britannia, and consisting essentially of tin with a slight admixture of antimony, bismuth, and lead or copper. -- Queen's pigeon . (Zo\'94l.) Same as Queen pigeon , above. -- Queen's ware , glazed English earthenware of a cream color. -- Queen's yellow (Old Chem.) , a heavy yellow powder consisting of a basic mercuric sulphate; -- formerly called turpetum minerale , or Turbith's mineral .

Queen <Xpage=1176>

Queen , v. i. To act the part of a queen.

Shak.

Queen <Xpage=1176>

Queen , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Queened (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Queening .] (Chess.) To make a queen (or other piece, at the player's discretion) of by moving it to the eighth row; as, to queen a pawn .

Queencraft <Xpage=1176>

Queen"craft` (?) , n. Craft or skill in policy on the part of a queen.

Elizabeth showed much queencraft in procuring the votes of the nobility. Fuller.

Queendom <Xpage=1176>

Queen"dom (?) , n. The dominion, condition, or character of a queen.

Mrs. Browning.

Queenfish <Xpage=1176>

Queen"fish` (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A California sci\'91noid food fish ( Seriphys politus ). The back is bluish, and the sides and belly bright silvery. Called also kingfish .

Queenhood <Xpage=1176>

Queen"hood (?) , n. The state, personality, or character of a queen; queenliness.

Tennyson.

Queening <Xpage=1176>

Queen"ing (?) , n. [See Queen apple .] (Bot.) Any one of several kinds of apples, as summer queening , scarlet queening , and early queening . An apple called the queening was cultivated in England two hundred years ago.

Queenliness <Xpage=1176>

Queen"li*ness (?) , n. The quality of being queenly; the; characteristic of a queen; stateliness; eminence among women in attractions or power.

Queenly <Xpage=1176>

Queen"ly , a. [AS. cw&emac;nlic feminine.] Like, becoming, or suitable to, a queen.

Oueen-post <Xpage=1176>

Oueen"-post` (?) , n. [Arch.] One of two suspending posts in a roof truss, or other framed truss of similar form. See King-post .

Queenship <Xpage=1176>

Queen"ship , n. The state, rank, or dignity of a queen.

Queensland nut <Xpage=1176>

Queens"land nut` (?) . (Bot.) The nut of an Australian tree ( Macadamia ternifolia ). It is about an inch in diameter, and contains a single round edible seed, or sometimes two hemispherical seeds. So called from Queensland in Australia.

Queen truss <Xpage=1176>

Queen" truss (?) . (Arch.) A truss framed with queen-posts; a queen-post truss.

Queer <Xpage=1176>

Queer (?) , a. [ Compar. Queerer (?) ; superl. Queerest .] [G. quer cross, oblique, athwart (cf. querkopf a queer fellow), OHG . twer , twerh , dwerah ; akin to D. dvars , AS, &thorn;weorh thwart, bent, twisted, Icel. &thorn;verr thwart, transverse, Goth. &thorn;wa\'8drhs angry, and perh. to L. torqyere to twist, and E. through . Cf. Torture , Through , Thwart , a. ] 1. At variance with what is usual or normal; differing in some odd way from what is ordinary; odd; singular; strange; whimsical; as, a queer story or act . " A queer look."

W. Irving.

2. Mysterious; suspicious; questionable; as, a queer transaction . [Colloq.]

Queer <Xpage=1176>

Queer , n. Counterfeit money. [Slang]

To shove the queer , to put counterfeit money in circulation. [Slang]

Queerish <Xpage=1176>

Queer"ish , a. Rather queer; somewhat singular.

Queerly <Xpage=1176>

Queer"ly , adv. In a queer or odd manner.

Queerness <Xpage=1176>

Queer"ness , n. The quality or state of being queer.

Queest <Xpage=1176>

Queest (?) , n. [Cf. Icel. kvisa a kind of bird, kvistr a branch of a tree, and E. cushat .] (Zo\'94l.) The European ringdove ( Columba palumbus ); the cushat. [Written also quist , queeze , quice , queece .] See Ringdove .

Quegh <Xpage=1176>

Quegh (?) , n. A drinking vessel. See Quaich .

Queint <Xpage=1176>

Queint (?) , a. See Quaint . [Obs.]

Queint <Xpage=1176>

Queint , obs. imp. & p. p. of Quench .

Chaucer.

Queintise <Xpage=1176>

Queint"ise (?) , n. See Quaintise . [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Quell <Xpage=1176>

Quell (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Quelled (<?/) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Quelling .] [See Quail to cower.]

1. To die. [Obs.]

Yet he did quake and quaver, like to quell . Spenser.

2. To be subdued or abated; to yield; to abate. [R.]

Winter's wrath begins to quell . Spenser.

Quell <Xpage=1176>

Quell , v. t. [OE. quellen to kill, AS. cwellan , causative of cwelan to die; akin to OHG. quellen to torment, Icel. kvelja . See Quail to cower.] 1. To take the life of; to kill. [Obs.]

Spenser.

The ducks cried as [if] men would them quelle . Chaucer.

2. To overpower; to subdue; to put down.

The nation obeyed the call, rallied round the sovereign, and enabled him to quell the disaffected minority. Macaulay.

Northward marching to quell the sudden revolt. Longfellow.

3. To quiet; to allay; to pacify; to cause to yield or cease; as, to quell grief; to quell the tumult of the soul.

Much did his words the gentle lady quell . Spenser.

Syn. -- to subdue; crush; overpower; reduce; put down; repress; suppress; quiet; allay; calm; pacify.

Quell <Xpage=1176>

Quell , n. Murder. [Obs.]

Shak.

Queller <Xpage=1176>

Quell"er (?) , n. 1. A killer; as, Jack the Giant Queller . [Obs.]

Wyclif (Mark vi. 27).

2. One who quells; one who overpowers or subdues.

Quellio <Xpage=1176>

Quel"li*o (?) , n. [Sp. cuello , L. collum neck.] A ruff for the neck. [Obs.]

B. Jonson.

Quelquechose <Xpage=1176>

Quelque"chose` (?) , n. [F. quelque chose something.] A trifle; a kickshaw.

Donne.

Queme <Xpage=1176>

Queme (?) , v. t. & i. [AS. cw&emac;man , akin to cuman to come. &root;23.] To please. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Quemeful <Xpage=1176>

Queme"ful (?) , a. Kindly; merciful. [Obs.]

Wyclif.

Quench <Xpage=1176>

Quench (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Quenched (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Quenching .] [OE. quenchen , AS. cwencan in \'becwencan , to extinguish utterly, causative of cwincan , \'becwincan , to decrease, disappear; cf. AS. cw\'c6nan , \'becw\'c6nan , to waste or dwindle away.] 1. To extinguish; to overwhelm; to make an end of; -- said of flame and fire, of things burning, and figuratively of sensations and emotions; as, to quench flame; to quench a candle; to quench thirst, love, hate, etc.

Ere our blood shall quench that fire. Shak.

The supposition of the lady's death Will quench the wonder of her infamy. Shak.

2. To cool suddenly, as heated steel, in tempering.

Syn. -- To extinguish; still; stifle; allay; cool; check.

Quench <Xpage=1176>

Quench , v. i. To become extinguished; to go out; to become calm or cool. [R.]

Dost thou think in time She will not quench ! Shak.

Quenchable <Xpage=1176>

Quench"a*ble (?) , a. Capable of being quenched.

Quencher <Xpage=1176>

Quench"er (?) , n. One who, or that which, quenches.

Hammond.

Quenchless <Xpage=1176>

Quench"less , a. Incapable of being quenched; inextinguishable; as, quenchless fire or fury . "Once kindled, quenchless evermore."

Byron.

Syn. -- Inextinguishable; unquenchable.

-- Quench"less*ly , adv. -- Quench"less*ness , n.

Quenelle <Xpage=1176>

Que*nelle" (?) , n. [F.] (Cookery) A kind of delicate forcemeat, commonly poached and used as a dish by itself or for garnishing.

Quenouille training <Xpage=1176>

Que*nouille train"ing (?) . [F. quenouille distaff.] (Hort.) A method of training trees or shrubs in the shape of a cone or distaff by tying down the branches and pruning.