question
question: n. & v. --n.
1 a sentence worded or expressed so as to seek information.
2 a doubt about or objection to a thing's truth, credibility, advisability, etc. (allowed it without question). b the raising of such doubt etc.
3 a matter to be discussed or decided or voted on.
4 a problem requiring an answer or solution.
5 (foll. by of) a matter or concern depending on conditions (it's a question of money). --v.tr.
1 ask questions of; interrogate.
2 subject (a person) to examination.
3 throw doubt upon; raise objections to.
4 seek information from the study of (phenomena, facts). øbe a question of time be certain to happen sooner or later. beyond all question undoubtedly. come into question be discussed; become of practical importance. in question that is being discussed or referred to (the person in question). is not the question is irrelevant. out of the question too impracticable etc. to be worth discussing; impossible. put the question require supporters and opponents of a proposal to record their votes, divide a meeting. question mark a punctuation mark (?) indicating a question. question-master Brit. a person who presides over a quiz game etc. question time Parl. a period during parliamentary proceedings when MPs may question ministers. øøquestioner n. questioningly adv. questionless adj. [ME f. AF questiun, OF question, questionner f. L quaestio -onis f. quaerere quaest- seek]

quartic
quartic: adj. & n. Math. --adj. involving the fourth and no higher power of an unknown quantity or variable. --n. a quartic equation. [L quartus fourth]

quarrelsome
quarrelsome: adj. given to or characterized by quarrelling. øøquarrelsomely adv. quarrelsomeness n.

quaternary
quaternary: adj. & n. --adj.
1 having four parts.
2 (Quaternary) Geol. of or relating to the most recent period in the Cenozoic era with evidence of many species of present-day plants and animals (cf. PLEISTOCENE, HOLOCENE). °Cf. Appendix II. --n. (pl. -ies.
1 a set of four things.
2 (Quaternary) Geol. the Quaternary period or system. [ME f. L quaternarius f. quaterni distrib. of quattuor four]

quarantine
quarantine: n. & v. --n.
1 isolation imposed on persons or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to, and might spread, infectious or contagious disease.
2 the period of this isolation. --v.tr. impose such isolation on, put in quarantine. [It. quarantina forty days f. quaranta forty]

quattrocento
quattrocento: n. the style of Italian art of the 15th c. øøquattrocentist n. [It., = 400 used with reference to the years 1400-99]

qualify
qualify: v. (-ies, -ied.
1 tr. make competent or fit for a position or purpose.
2 tr. make legally entitled.
3 intr. (foll. by for) (of a person) satisfy the conditions or requirements (for a position, award, competition, etc.).
4 tr. add reservations to; modify or make less absolute (a statement or assertion).
5 tr. Gram. (of a word, esp. an adjective) attribute a quality to another word, esp. a noun.
6 tr. moderate, mitigate; make less severe or extreme.
7 tr. alter the strength or flavour of.
8 tr. (foll. by as) attribute a specified quality to, describe as (the idea was qualified as absurd).
9 tr. (as qualifying adj.) serving to determine those that qualify (qualifying examination). øøqualifiable adj. qualifier n. [F qualifier f. med.L qualificare f. L qualis such as]

qualitative
qualitative: adj. concerned with or depending on quality (led to a qualitative change in society). øqualitative analysis Chem. detection of the constituents, as elements, functional groups, etc., present in a substance (opp. quantitative analysis). øøqualitatively adv. [LL qualitativus (as QUALITY)]

quaver
quaver: v. & n. --v.
1 intr. a (esp. of a voice or musical sound) vibrate, shake, tremble. b use trills or shakes in singing.
2 tr. a sing (a note or song) with quavering. b (often foll. by out) say in a trembling voice. --n.
1 Mus. a note having the time value of an eighth of a semibreve or half a crotchet and represented by a large dot with a hooked stem. Also called eighth note.
2 a trill in singing.
3 a tremble in speech. øøquaveringly adv. [ME f. quave, perh. f. OE cwafian (unrecorded: cf. cwacian QUAKE)]