<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>One of the four equal or equivalent parts into which anything is or may be divided: a quarter of an apple; a quarter of a book.</li><li>A fourth part, especially of one (¼).</li><li>One fourth of a U.S. or Canadian dollar, equivalent to 25 cents.</li><li>A coin of this value.</li><li>One fourth of an hour: He stayed there for an hour and a quarter.</li><li>The moment marking this period: The clock struck the quarter.</li><li>One fourth of a calendar or fiscal year: The bank sends out a statement each quarter.</li><li>Astronomy: a fourth of the moon's period or monthly revolution, being that portion of its period or orbital course between a quadrature and a syzygy.</li><li>Either quadrature of the moon.</li><li>(In schools, colleges, and universities) one of the terms or periods into which instruction is organized, generally 10 to 12 weeks in length.</li><li>Sports: any of the four periods that make up certain games, as football and basketball.</li><li>One fourth of a pound.</li><li>One fourth of a mile; two furlongs.</li><li>One fourth of a yard; 9 inches.</li><li>A unit of weight: one fourth of a hundredweight.</li><li>In the U.S., this equals 25 pounds and in Britain, 28 pounds.</li><li>British: a measure of capacity for grain, etc., equal to 8 bushels, or, locally, to approximately this.</li><li>The region of any of the four principal points of the compass or divisions of the horizon.</li><li>A region, district, or place.</li><li>A particular district of a city or town, especially one generally occupied by a particular group of people: the Turkish quarter; an artists' quarter.</li><li>Usually quarters: housing accommodations, as a place of residence; lodgings.</li><li>Military: the buildings, houses, barracks, or rooms occupied by military personnel or their families.</li><li>An unspecified part or member of a community, government, etc., that serves as a source of information or authority: He received secret information from a high quarter.</li><li>Mercy or indulgence, especially as shown in sparing the life and accepting the surrender of a vanquished enemy: to give quarter; to ask for quarter.</li><li>One of the four parts, each including a leg, of the body or carcass of a quadruped.</li><li>Veterinary Medicine: the part of a horse's hoof between heel and toe.</li><li>Shoemaking: the part of a boot or shoe on each side of the foot, from the middle of the back to the vamp.</li><li>Nautical: the after part of a ship's side, usually from about the aftermost mast to the stern.</li><li>The general horizontal direction 45° from the stern of a ship on either side: Another boat is coming near on the port quarter.</li><li>One of the stations to which crew members are called for battle, emergencies, or drills.</li><li>The part of a yard between the slings and the yardarm.</li><li>Heraldry: any of the four equal areas into which an escutcheon may be divided by a vertical and a horizontal line passing through the center.</li><li>Any of the variously numbered areas into which an escutcheon may be divided for the marshaling of different arms.</li><li>Any of the arms marshaled on an escutcheon.</li><li>A charge occupying one quarter of an escutcheon, especially that in dexter chief.</li><li>Each half of a cask, consisting of the portion from the bilge to the top chime and the portion from the bilge to the bottom chime.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb</strong></p><ul><li>To divide into four equal or equivalent parts.</li><li>To divide into parts fewer or more than four: Quarter the pie into six pieces.</li><li>To cut the body of (a person) into quarters, especially in executing for treason or the like.</li><li>To furnish with lodging in a particular place.</li><li>To impose (soldiers) on persons, towns, etc., to be lodged and fed: He quartered his men with the farmer.</li><li>To assign to a particular place for service, action, etc., as on a battleship.</li><li>To traverse (the ground) from left to right and right to left while advancing, as dogs in search of game.</li><li>To sail so as to have the wind or sea on the quarter.</li></ul><p><strong>Adjective</strong></p><ul><li>Being one of four equal or approximately equal parts into which anything is or may be divided.</li><li>Being equal to only about one fourth of the full measure.</li></ul>