The quad at a university.
The definition of a quad, short for quadrangle, is a large open area where people can gather, surrounded on four sides by buildings.
An example of a quad is a courtyard in a school.
quad
- quadrangle (of a college)
- quadriceps
- quadruplet
quadraphonic
a piece of type metal lower than the face of the type, used for spacing, to fill blank lines, etc.
Origin of quad
from quad(rat)transitive verb
quad′ded, quad′ding to fill out (a line) by means of quads
alt. sp. of quod
a unit of energy equal to one quadrillion Btu
- quadrangle
- quadrant
- quadruplicate
quad
noun
A quadrangle: cadets forming up in the barracks quad.
noun
Printing See quadrat.
adjective
Quadruple.
noun
- Something having four identifiable or prominent parts or members.
- Something capable of carrying or moving four people or things, as a chairlift.
- A quadruplet.
adjective
Quadraphonic.
noun
SlangA quadriceps muscle: stretched her quads before sprinting.
quad
Noun
(plural quads)
- (informal) A quadrangle (courtyard).
- (informal) A quadruplet (infant).
- short for quadrilateral
- (informal) A quadriceps muscle.
- Four shots of espresso.
- A quad bike.
- (chess) A kind of round robin tournament between four players, where each participant plays every other participant once.
- (Mormonism) The Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price bound in a single volume.
Noun
(plural quads)
- (letterpress typography) A blank metal block used to fill short lines of type.
- (printing slang) A joke used to fill long days of setting type.
- (typography, phototypesetting and digital typesetting) A keyboard command which aligns text with the left or right margin, or centred between them. In combination, as quad left, quad right, or quad centre.
Verb
(third-person singular simple present quads, present participle quadding, simple past and past participle quadded)
- (letterpress typography, intransitive) To fill spaces in a line of type with quads. Also quad out.
- (typography, phototypesetting and digital typesetting, intransitive) To align text with the left or right margin, or centre it.
Origin
1785 Quads. pl, 1847 quads, verb 1876. From the abbreviation quad., for obsolete quadrat. Keyboard command is named for the verb sense.
Prefix
- Involving four elements.
Origin
Reduced form of quadri-.
