Quarte
/ˈkwɑːrt/noun
A fencing parry in which the hand is held palm-up to protect the left side of the body.
Did you know?In classical fencing, quarte was one of the numbered defensive positions, reflecting a system in which the sword’s angles were mapped like geometric coordinates.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kwetwóres
“Four; the reconstructed numeral behind many later words for fourness and measurement.”
Classical Latin
Latin
quārtus / quārta
“Fourth; the masculine and feminine forms of the ordinal number.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
quarta
“A fourth part or fourth position.”
12th–14th Century
Old French
quarte
“Fourth; also a fourth interval or position.”
17th Century
English
quarte
“A fencing parry or guard position, borrowed from French fencing terminology.”
Modern English
English
quarte
“A classical fencing parry protecting the inside or left side of the body.”