Quad
/kwɑd/noun
A four-sided shape, a quadruple, or a short form for several words beginning with quad-.
Did you know?The root *kwetwer- also gave Latin quattuor, Greek téttares, and Sanskrit cátvāras, showing how one ancient number spread across major Indo-European languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kwetwer-
“four”
Latin
Latin
quattuor
“four”
Late Latin
Latin
quadri-
“four; fourfold”
Middle English
English
quad
“a square or four-sided area; later a shortening of words with quad-”
Modern English
English
quad
“a four-sided shape, a quadrangle, or a shortened form of words built on quad-”
Explore more surprising origins