quaternary

See also: Quaternary

English

WOTD – 7 April 2006

English numbers ^(edit)

←  3	4	5  → [a], [b]
Cardinal: four     Ordinal: fourth     Latinate ordinal: quartary, quaternary     Reverse order ordinal: fourth to last, fourth from last, last but three     Latinate reverse order ordinal: preantepenultimate     Adverbial: four times     Multiplier: fourfold     Latinate multiplier: quadruple     Distributive: quadruply     Group collective: foursome     Multipart collective: quadruplet     Greek or Latinate collective: tetrad     Greek collective prefix: tetra-, tessera-     Latinate collective prefix: quadri-     Fractional: quarter, fourth     Latinate fractional prefix: quadrant-     Elemental: quadruplet     Greek prefix: tetarto-     Number of musicians: quartet     Number of years: quadrennium, olympiad

Etymology

Derived from Latin quaternārius (“containing or consisting of four”), from quaternī (“four each”, “four at a time”) + -ārius (whence the English suffix -ary); compare the French quaternaire.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /kwəˈtɜː.nə.ɹi/, (rare) /ˈkwɔːt.ən.(ə.)ɹi/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkwɑ.tɚˌnɛɹ.i/, IPA^(key): /ˈkwɑ.tɚˌnɛə.ɹi/

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Adjective

quaternary (not comparable)

1. Of fourth rank or order.

   the quaternary stress in a pronounced word

2. Of a mathematical expression containing e.g. x⁴.
3. Relating to or in number base four.
4. (organic chemistry) quaternary ammonium.
5. (inorganic chemistry) Composed of four elements.

Usage notes

The fourth ordinal from Latin that might etymologically follow tertiary is quartary, but quaternary (from the distributive number instead) is more usual in English.

Synonyms

• quartal
• quartary (obsolete)

Derived terms

• bisquaternary
• pseudoquaternary
• quaternary ammonium
• quaternary care
• quaternary healthcare
• quaternary industry
• quaternary moon
• quaternary number
• quaternary sector of the economy
• quaternary structure

 

Related terms

• quaternion

Translations

of fourth rank or order

• Bulgarian: четвъртичен (četvǎrtičen)
• Catalan: quaternari m, quaternària f
• Estonian: neljas (et)
• Finnish: kvartäärinen (fi), kvaternaarinen
• French: d’ordre quatre, quaternaire (fr) m or f
• Italian: quaternario (it)
• Malay: aras empat, kuaterner
• Portuguese: quaternário (pt)
• Russian: четвертичный (ru) (četvertičnyj)

of mathematical expressions

• Finnish: neljännen asteen
• French: d’ordre quatre

See also

• unary, unitary (1)
  • primary (1st)
• binary (2)
  • secondary (2nd)
• ternary or trinary (3)
  • tertiary (3rd)
• quaternary (4)
  • quartary (4th)
  • tetranary (4)
• quinary (5)
• senary (6)
• septenary (7)
• octonary (8)
• novenary (9)
  • nonary (9th)
• denary (10)
• duodenary (12)
• vicenary (20)
• tricenary (30)
• sexagenary (60)
• centenary (100)

Noun

quaternary (plural quaternaries)

1. (chemistry) A quaternary compound.
2. (geology) The Quaternary period or the system of deposits laid down during it.