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Tracing “”…
Where does the word "quarter" come from? It comes from Latin quartarius, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
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Where does the word "quarter" come from? It comes from Latin quartarius, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Quarter’s story begins in Latin: quartarius meant “a fourth part.” From 'quartus', fourth. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as quartier. City districts were once literally quarters. It reached English by 1300s as quarter. The US 25-cent 'quarter' dates from the 1790s. Today, quarter means one of four equal parts; a district.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient quartarius "a fourth part", from 'quartus', fourth.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval quartier "a fourth; district", city districts were once literally quarters.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s quarter "a fourth part", the US 25-cent 'quarter' dates from the 1790s.