square

English

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Wikipedia

A square (polygon)
Komsomolskaya Square at night

Etymology

From Old French esquarre (French équerre), from Vulgar Latin *exquadra, from Latin quadra (“square”).

Pronunciation

Noun

square (plural squares)

  1. Any simple object with four nearly straight and nearly equal sides meeting at nearly right angles.
  2. An L- or T-shaped tool used to place objects or draw lines at right angles.
    There are so many uses for the square, in fact, that a new model will usually come complete with a booklet enumerating its applications. - The Carpenter's Square
  3. An open space in a town, not necessarily square in shape, often containing trees, seating and other features pleasing to the eye.
    • (Can we date this quote?) NewsRadio
      You're not in Wisconsin, Dave. The big story isn't about a cow wandering into the town square.
  4. A cell in a grid.
    You may not move a piece to a square already occupied by one of your own pieces.
  5. (geometry) A polygon with four sides of equal length and four angles of 90 degrees; a regular quadrilateral whose angles are all 90 degrees.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Kazimir Malevich
      I took refuge in the square form and exhibited a picture which consisted of nothing more than a black square on a white field.
  6. (mathematics) The second power of a number, value, term or expression.
    64 is the square of 8.
  7. (military) A body of troops drawn up in a square formation.
    • 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society 2010, p. 144:
      After disastrous attempts to break the Russian squares, during which, Longworth recounts, ‘the best and the bravest of the warriors fell victim to their own rashness’, the Circassians likewise changed their tactics.
  8. (slang) A socially conventional person; typically associated with the 1950s
    • 1957, Elvis Presley, “Jailhouse Rock” (song): 
      The sad sack was a sitting on a block of stone / Way over in the corner weepin' all alone. / The warden said, hey, buddy, don't you be no square / If you can't find a partner, use a wooden chair.
    Why do you always wear a tie? Don't be such a square!
  9. (UK) The symbol # on a telephone; hash.
    Enter your account number followed by a square.
  10. (cricket) The central area of a cricket field, containing several pitches laid out next to one another - only one being used at a time.
    An ideal playing area is roughly circular in shape with a central area, the cricket square, measuring 27.44 metres by 27.44 metres and boundaries 45.75 metres from the sides of the square.
  11. (real estate jargon) A unit of measurement of area, equal to a 10 foot by 10 foot square, ie. 100 square feet or roughly 9.3 square metres. Used in real estate for the size of a house or its rooms, though progressively being replaced by square metres in metric countries such as Australia.
    2006: Just as the basic unit of real estate measurement across the world is the square ... — Macquarie Bank (Australia), press release Macquarie releases Real Estate Market Outlook 2006 - "The World Squared", 21 June 2006 [1]
    2007: The house is very large and open and boasts 39 squares of living space plus over 13 squares of decking area on 3 sides and 17 squares of garage and workshop downstairs. — Your Estate advertisement for Grindelwald Tasmania [2]
  12. (roofing) A unit used in measuring roof area equivalent to 100 square feet (9.29 m2) of roof area.
  13. (North America) A dessert cut into rectangular pieces, or a piece of such a dessert.
  14. (academia) A mortarboard
  15. (colloquial, US) A square meal.
    Even when times were tough, we got three squares a day.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun "square"

Translations

object with four nearly equal straight sides meeting at nearly right angles
polygon
tool
open space in a town
a cell in a grid
second power
slang: socially conventional person
  1. symbol on a telephone
central area of a cricket field
unit of one hundred square feet of roof area
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Adjective

square (comparative squarer, superlative squarest)

  1. Shaped like a square (the polygon).
  2. At right angles to.
  3. Used in the names of units of area formed by multiplying a unit of length by itself.
    square metre
    square mile
  4. Honest; straightforward.
    It may be prison, but at least I'm getting three square meals a day.
  5. Fair.
    I'm just looking for a square deal on my car repair.
  6. Even; tied
    The sides were square at the end of the half.
    • 2000 December 16, “Islanders, Devils Make It Tough For Canadian Teams”, Bryan Times:
      The teams were square while at even strength. have to play better than even if we want to win games." said Montreal goalie Jose Theodore
    • 2003 April 9, “Lowe Struggles Again In Sox Setback”, Record-Journal:
      But the Jays were square again by the end of the inning, as Myers hit a 2-and-0 pitch into the left-center field seats
    • 2003 November 24, “Els's mates get better with time”, The Age, Melbourne, Vic.:
      The sides were square to the 14th hole when Goosen took birdie,
    • 2006 September 23, Jim McCabe, “As usual, Americans trailing after first day”, The Columbus Dispatch:
      In each of the last three afternoon foursomes, the Americans were square through 15, but could only come in with two halves and a loss.
  7. (slang) Socially conventional; boring.
  8. (cricket) in line with the batsman's popping crease.
  9. Correctly aligned with respect to something else

Synonyms

Derived terms

Terms derived from the adjective "square"

Translations

shaped like a square
at right angles to
in the names of units
socially conventional
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

square (third-person singular simple present squares, present participle squaring, simple past and past participle squared)

  1. (transitive) To adjust so as to align with or place at a right angle to something else.
    The casting was mounted on a milling machine so that its sides could be squared.
  2. To resolve.
    John can square this question up for us.
    These results just don't square.
  3. To adjust or adapt so as to bring into harmony with something.
    I cannot square the results of the experiment with my hypothesis.
  4. (transitive, mathematics) Of a value, term, or expression, to multiply by itself; to raise to the second power.
  5. (transitive) To draw, with a pair of compasses and a straightedge only, a square with the same area as.
    square the circle
  6. (soccer) To make a short low pass sideways across the pitch
    • 2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton”, BBC Sport:
      First, former Toffee Mikel Arteta sent Walcott racing clear but instead of shooting he squared towards Ramsey, who was foiled by Tony Hibbert.
  7. (archaic) To take opposing sides; to quarrel.
  8. To accord or agree exactly; to be consistent with; to suit; to fit.
    • Cowper
      No works shall find acceptance […] that square not truly with the Scripture plan.
  9. (obsolete) To go to opposite sides; to take an attitude of offense or defense, or of defiance; to quarrel.
    • Shakespeare
      Are you such fools / To square for this?
  10. To take a boxing attitude; often with up or off.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Dickens to this entry?)

Derived terms

terms derived from the verb "square"

Synonyms

  • (to multiply by itself) ²

Translations

to adjust something so that aligns with or is a right angle to something else
to resolve
to adjust or adapt so as to bring into harmony with something
math: to multiply by itself
geometry: to draw a square with same area as sthg else

See also

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French

Etymology

From English square

Pronunciation

Noun

square m (plural squares)

  1. small public garden in the middle of a square
    Le square de la tour Saint-Jacques.

References

Anagrams

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Last modified on 13 May 2013, at 03:34