Quad Definition

quad

English

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɑːd
• Rhymes: -ɒd

Noun

quad (plural quads)

1. (informal) A quadrangle (courtyard).
2. (informal) A quadruplet (infant).
3. short for quadrilateral
4. (informal) A quadriceps muscle.
5. Four shots of espresso.
6. A quad bike.
7. (chess) A kind of round robin tournament between four players, where each participant plays every other participant once.

Derived terms

• quad bike
• quad strip
• quad ruled
• quaddie

Adjective

quad (not comparable)

1. Having four shots of espresso.
2. (poker slang) Of or relating to quads.

Translations

See also

• quadr-, quadri-
• quadru-
• quin

Etymology 2

1785 Quads. pl, 1847 quads, verb 1876. From the abbreviation quad., for obsolete quadrat. Keyboard command is named for the verb sense.

Alternative forms

• quad. (obsolete)

Noun

quad (plural quads)

1. (letterpress typography) A blank metal block used to fill short lines of type.
   • 1853, Charles Dickens, “Household Words”, n 160 (April 16), p 148:

     “Quadrats, sir. We call 'em quads.” . . . Quads are the spaces left between the paragraphs that come white on the paper. If you look here, at this page that is set-up, you will see that they are deeper than the spaces left between the words and letters—regular little trenches.

   • 1979, Marshall Lee, Bookmaking, p 110:

     Horizontal spacing is further divided into multiples and fractions of the em. The multiples are called quads. The fractions are called spaces.

   • 2005, Phil Baines and Andrew Haslam, Type & Typography, 2nd ed, p 91:

     Other larger spaces – known as quads – were used to space out lines.

2. (printing slang) A joke used to fill long days of setting type.
3. (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.

Synonyms

• em space
• quadrat (obsolete)

Derived terms

• em quad, 2-em quad, 3-em quad
• en quad
• mutton quad
• quad center, quad centre, quad left, quad middle, quad right

Verb

quad (third-person singular simple present quads, present participle quadding, simple past and past participle quadded)

1. (letterpress typography, transitive, intransitive) To fill spaces in a line of type with quads. Also quad out.
2. (typography, phototypesetting and digital typesetting, transitive, intransitive) To align text with the left or right margin, or centre it.

Dutch

Etymology

From English quad.

Noun

quad m (plural quads, diminutive quadje)

1. quad, quad bike

Italian

Noun

quad m (invariable)

1. quad bike

Spanish

Noun

quad f (plural quads)

1. all-terrain vehicle

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