| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| quack | verb i. | To utter a sound like the cry of a duck., To make vain and loud pretensions; to boast., To act the part of a quack, or pretender., The cry of the duck, or a sound in imitation of it; a hoarse, quacking noise., A boastful pretender to medical skill; an empiric; an ignorant practitioner., Hence, one who boastfully pretends to skill or knowledge of any kind not possessed; a charlatan., Pertaining to or characterized by, boasting and pretension; used by quacks; pretending to cure diseases; as, a quack medicine; a quack doctor. |
| quade | adjective | Evil; bad; baffling; as, a quade wind. |
| quaff | verb t. | To drink with relish; to drink copiously of; to swallow in large draughts., To drink largely or luxuriously. |
| quail | verb i. | To die; to perish; hence, to wither; to fade., To become quelled; to become cast down; to sink under trial or apprehension of danger; to lose the spirit and power of resistance; to lose heart; to give way; to shrink; to cower., To cause to fail in spirit or power; to quell; to crush; to subdue., To curdle; to coagulate, as milk., Any gallinaceous bird belonging to Coturnix and several allied genera of the Old World, especially the common European quail (C. communis), the rain quail (C. Coromandelica) of India, the stubble quail (C. pectoralis), and the Australian swamp quail (Synoicus australis)., Any one of several American partridges belonging to Colinus, Callipepla, and allied genera, especially the bobwhite (called Virginia quail, and Maryland quail), and the California quail (Calipepla Californica)., Any one of numerous species of Turnix and allied genera, native of the Old World, as the Australian painted quail (Turnix varius). See Turnix., A prostitute; — so called because the quail was thought to be a very amorous bird. |
| quair | noun | A quire; a book. |
| quake | verb i. | To be agitated with quick, short motions continually repeated; to shake with fear, cold, etc.; to shudder; to tremble., To shake, vibrate, or quiver, either from not being solid, as soft, wet land, or from violent convulsion of any kind; as, the earth quakes; the mountains quake., To cause to quake., A tremulous agitation; a quick vibratory movement; a shudder; a quivering. |
| quaky | adjective | Shaky, or tremulous; quaking. |
| qualm | noun | Sickness; disease; pestilence; death., A sudden attack of illness, faintness, or pain; an agony., Especially, a sudden sensation of nausea., A prick or scruple of conscience; uneasiness of conscience; compunction. |
| quant | noun | A punting pole with a broad flange near the end to prevent it from sinking into the mud; a setting pole. |
| quarl | noun | A medusa, or jellyfish. |
| quart | noun | The fourth part; a quarter; hence, a region of the earth., A measure of capacity, both in dry and in liquid measure; the fourth part of a gallon; the eighth part of a peck; two pints., A vessel or measure containing a quart., In cards, four successive cards of the same suit. Cf. Tierce, 4. |
| quash | noun | Same as Squash., To abate, annul, overthrow, or make void; as, to quash an indictment., To beat down, or beat in pieces; to dash forcibly; to crush., To crush; to subdue; to suppress or extinguish summarily and completely; as, to quash a rebellion., To be shaken, or dashed about, with noise. |
| quasi | As if; as though; as it were; in a manner sense or degree; having some resemblance to; qualified; — used as an adjective, or a prefix with a noun or an adjective; as, a quasi contract, an implied contract, an obligation which has arisen from some act, as if from a contract; a quasi corporation, a body that has some, but not all, of the peculiar attributes of a corporation; a quasi argument, that which resembles, or is used as, an argument; quasi historical, apparently historical, seeming to be historical. | |
| quass | noun | A thin, sour beer, made by pouring warm water on rye or barley meal and letting it ferment, — much used by the Russians. |
| quata | noun | The coaita. |
| quave | noun | See Quaver., To quaver. |
| quayd | p. p. of Quail. | |
| quean | noun | A woman; a young or unmarried woman; a girl., A low woman; a wench; a slut. |
| quech | verb i. | Alt. of Queck |
| queck | verb i. | A word occurring in a corrupt passage of Bacon’s Essays, and probably meaning, to stir, to move. |
| queen | noun | The wife of a king., A woman who is the sovereign of a kingdom; a female monarch; as, Elizabeth, queen of England; Mary, queen of Scots., A woman eminent in power or attractions; the highest of her kind; as, a queen in society; — also used figuratively of cities, countries, etc., The fertile, or fully developed, female of social bees, ants, and termites., The most powerful, and except the king the most important, piece in a set of chessmen., A playing card bearing the picture of a queen; as, the queen of spades., A male homosexual, esp. one who is effeminate or dresses in women’s clothing., To act the part of a queen., To make a queen (or other piece, at the player’s discretion) of by moving it to the eighth row; as, to queen a pawn. |
| queer | adjective | At variance with what is usual or normal; differing in some odd way from what is ordinary; odd; singular; strange; whimsical; as, a queer story or act., Mysterious; suspicious; questionable; as, a queer transaction., Counterfeit money. |
| quegh | noun | A drinking vessel. See Quaich. |
| quell | verb i. | To die., To be subdued or abated; to yield; to abate., To take the life of; to kill., To overpower; to subdue; to put down., To quiet; to allay; to pacify; to cause to yield or cease; as, to quell grief; to quell the tumult of the soul., Murder. |
| queme | verb t. & i. | To please. |
| querl | verb t. | To twirl; to turn or wind round; to coil; as, to querl a cord, thread, or rope., A coil; a twirl; as, the qwerl of hair on the fore leg of a blooded horse. |
| quern | noun | A mill for grinding grain, the upper stone of which was turned by hand; — used before the invention of windmills and watermills. |
| query | noun | A question; an inquiry to be answered or solved., A question in the mind; a doubt; as, I have a query about his sincerity., An interrogation point [?] as the sign of a question or a doubt., To ask questions; to make inquiry., To have a doubt; as, I query if he is right., To put questions about; to elicit by questioning; to inquire into; as, to query the items or the amount; to query the motive or the fact., To address questions to; to examine by questions., To doubt of; to regard with incredulity., To write ” query” (qu., qy., or ?) against, as a doubtful spelling, or sense, in a proof. See Quaere. |
| quest | noun | The act of seeking, or looking after anything; attempt to find or obtain; search; pursuit; as, to rove in quest of game, of a lost child, of property, etc., Request; desire; solicitation., Those who make search or inquiry, taken collectively., Inquest; jury of inquest., To search for; to examine., To go on a quest; to make a search; to go in pursuit; to beg. |
| queue | noun | A tail-like appendage of hair; a pigtail., A line of persons waiting anywhere., To fasten, as hair, in a queue. |
| quica | noun | A small South American opossum (Didelphys quica), native of Guiana and Brazil. It feeds upon insects, small birds, and fruit. |
| quice | noun | See Queest. |
| quich | verb i. | To stir. |
| quick | superl. | Alive; living; animate; — opposed to dead or inanimate., Characterized by life or liveliness; animated; sprightly; agile; brisk; ready., Speedy; hasty; swift; not slow; as, be quick., Impatient; passionate; hasty; eager; eager; sharp; unceremonious; as, a quick temper., Fresh; bracing; sharp; keen., Sensitive; perceptive in a high degree; ready; as, a quick ear., Pregnant; with child., In a quick manner; quickly; promptly; rapidly; with haste; speedily; without delay; as, run quick; get back quick., That which is quick, or alive; a living animal or plant; especially, the hawthorn, or other plants used in making a living hedge., The life; the mortal point; a vital part; a part susceptible of serious injury or keen feeling; the sensitive living flesh; the part of a finger or toe to which the nail is attached; the tender emotions; as, to cut a finger nail to the quick; to thrust a sword to the quick, to taunt one to the quick; — used figuratively., Quitch grass., To revive; to quicken; to be or become alive. |
| quiet | adjective | In a state of rest or calm; without stir, motion, or agitation; still; as, a quiet sea; quiet air., Free from noise or disturbance; hushed; still., Not excited or anxious; calm; peaceful; placid; settled; as, a quiet life; a quiet conscience., Not giving offense; not exciting disorder or trouble; not turbulent; gentle; mild; meek; contented., Not showy; not such as to attract attention; undemonstrative; as, a quiet dress; quiet colors; a quiet movement., The quality or state of being quiet, or in repose; as an hour or a time of quiet., Freedom from disturbance, noise, or alarm; stillness; tranquillity; peace; security., To stop motion in; to still; to reduce to a state of rest, or of silence., To calm; to appease; to pacify; to lull; to allay; to tranquillize; as, to quiet the passions; to quiet clamors or disorders; to quiet pain or grief., To become still, silent, or calm; — often with down; as, be soon quieted down. |
| quill | noun | One of the large feathers of a bird’s wing, or one of the rectrices of the tail; also, the stock of such a feather., A pen for writing made by sharpening and splitting the point or nib of the stock of a feather; as, history is the proper subject of his quill., A spine of the hedgehog or porcupine., The pen of a squid. See Pen., The plectrum with which musicians strike the strings of certain instruments., The tube of a musical instrument., Something having the form of a quill, The fold or plain of a ruff., A spindle, or spool, as of reed or wood, upon which the thread for the woof is wound in a shuttle., A hollow spindle., To plaint in small cylindrical ridges, called quillings; as, to quill a ruffle., To wind on a quill, as thread or yarn. |
| quilt | noun | Anything that is quilted; esp., a quilted bed cover, or a skirt worn by women; any cover or garment made by putting wool, cotton, etc., between two cloths and stitching them together; also, any outer bed cover., To stitch or sew together at frequent intervals, in order to confine in place the several layers of cloth and wadding of which a garment, comforter, etc., may be made; as, to quilt a coat., To wad, as a garment, with warm soft material., To stitch or sew in lines or patterns. |
| quint | noun | A set or sequence of five, as in piquet., The interval of a fifth. |
| quipo | noun | Same as Quipu. |
| quipu | noun | A contrivance employed by the ancient Peruvians, Mexicans, etc., as a substitute for writing and figures, consisting of a main cord, from which hung at certain distances smaller cords of various colors, each having a special meaning, as silver, gold, corn, soldiers. etc. Single, double, and triple knots were tied in the smaller cords, representing definite numbers. It was chiefly used for arithmetical purposes, and to register important facts and events. |
| quire | noun | See Choir., To sing in concert., A collection of twenty-four sheets of paper of the same size and quality, unfolded or having a single fold; one twentieth of a ream. |
| quirk | noun | A sudden turn; a starting from the point or line; hence, an artful evasion or subterfuge; a shift; a quibble; as, the quirks of a pettifogger., A fit or turn; a short paroxysm; a caprice., A smart retort; a quibble; a shallow conceit., An irregular air; as, light quirks of music., A piece of ground taken out of any regular ground plot or floor, so as to make a court, yard, etc.; — sometimes written quink., A small channel, deeply recessed in proportion to its width, used to insulate and give relief to a convex rounded molding. |
| quirl | noun & verb | See Querl. |
| quirt | noun | A rawhide whip plaited with two thongs of buffalo hide. |
| quish | noun | See Cuish. |
| quite | verb t. & i. | See Quit., Completely; wholly; entirely; totally; perfectly; as, the work is not quite done; the object is quite accomplished; to be quite mistaken., To a great extent or degree; very; very much; considerably. |
| quits | interj. | See the Note under Quit, a. |
| quoif | noun & verb t. | See Coif. |
| quoil | noun | See Coil. |
| quoin | noun | Originally, a solid exterior angle, as of a building; now, commonly, one of the selected pieces of material by which the corner is marked., A wedgelike piece of stone, wood metal, or other material, used for various purposes, to support and steady a stone., To support the breech of a cannon., To wedge or lock up a form within a chase., To prevent casks from rolling. |
| quoit | noun | A flattened ring-shaped piece of iron, to be pitched at a fixed object in play; hence, any heavy flat missile used for the same purpose, as a stone, piece of iron, etc., A game played with quoits., The discus of the ancients. See Discus., A cromlech., To throw quoits; to play at quoits., To throw; to pitch. |
| quoke | imp. of Quake. | |
| quoll | noun | A marsupial of Australia (Dasyurus macrurus), about the size of a cat. |
| quook | imp. of Quake. | |
| quota | noun | A proportional part or share; the share or proportion assigned to each in a division. |
| quote | verb t. | To cite, as a passage from some author; to name, repeat, or adduce, as a passage from an author or speaker, by way of authority or illustration; as, to quote a passage from Homer., To cite a passage from; to name as the authority for a statement or an opinion; as, to quote Shakespeare., To name the current price of., To notice; to observe; to examine., To set down, as in writing., A note upon an author. |
| quoth | verb t. | Said; spoke; uttered; — used only in the first and third persons in the past tenses, and always followed by its nominative, the word or words said being the object; as, quoth I. quoth he. |
| quran | noun | See Koran. |