| qua | In so far as; in the capacity or character of; as. "It is with Shelley's biographers qua biographers that we have to deal." (London Spectator) Origin: L, abl. Of qui who. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| qua-bird | <zoology> The American night heron. See Night. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| quab | An unfledged bird; hence, something immature or unfinished. Origin: Cf. D. Kwab eelpout, Dan. Quabbe, G. Quabbe, quappe, LG. Quabbe a fat lump of flesh, and L. Capito a kind of fish with a large head, fr. Caput the head, also E. Squab. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| quacha | <zoology> The quagga. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| quack | Pertaining to or characterised by, boasting and pretension; used by quacks; pretending to cure diseases; as, a quack medicine; a quack doctor. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| quack grass | <botany> See Quitch grass. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| quack medicine | A compound advertised falsely as curative of a certain disease or diseases. (05 Mar 2000) |
| quackery | Deliberate misrepresentation of the ability of a substance or device for the prevention or treatment of disease. We may think that the day of patent medicines is gone but look around you and you will see them still. They appeal to our desire to believe that every disease is curable or at least treatable. Quackery also applies to persons who pretend to be able to diagnose or heal people but are unqualified and incompetant. (12 Dec 1998) |
| quacksalver | One who boasts of his skill in medicines and salves, or of the efficacy of his prescriptions; a charlatan; a quack; a mountebank. Origin: D. Kwakzalver; cf. Kwakzalven to quack or boast of one's salves. See Quack, Salve. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| quad | <physics> Unit of energy equal to a Quadrillion BTUs (10^15) or roughly one exajoule. See: joule, exajoule, BTU. (09 Oct 1997) |
| quadrable | <mathematics> That may be sqyared, or reduced to an equivalent square; said of a surface when the area limited by a curve can be exactly found, and expressed in a finite number of algebraic terms. See: Quadrate. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| quadragene | An indulgence of forty days, corresponding to the forty days of ancient canonical penance. Origin: LL. Quadragena, fr. L. Quadrageni forty each, akin to quadraginta forty. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| quadragesima | The forty days of fast preceding Easter; Lent. Quadragesima Sunday, the first Sunday in Lent, about forty days before Easter. Origin: L, fr. Quadragesimus the fortieth, fr. Quadraginta forty; akin to quattuor four. See Four. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| quadrangle | 1. <geometry> A plane figure having four angles, and consequently four sides; any figure having four angles. 2. A square or quadrangular space or inclosure, such a space or court surrounded by buildings, especially. Such a court in a college or public school in England. Origin: F, fr. L. Quadrangulum; quattuor four + angulus an angle. See Four, and Angle a corner. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| quadrangular | Having four angles. Origin: L. Quadrangularis, fr. Quadrangulum, quadrangle (05 Mar 2000) |