The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
Appendix I
Indo-European Roots
ENTRY:
kwetwer-
DEFINITION:
Four. Derivatives include four, squad, quarantine, and farthing. I. O-grade form *kwetwor-.1a.four, from Old English fower, four; b.forty, from Old English fowertig, forty; c.fourteen; fortnight, from Old English fowertne, fourteen (-tne, ten; see dek). a–c all from Germanic *fe(d)wor-, probably from *kwetwor-.2.quatrain; cater-cornered, quattrocento, from Latin quattuor, four. 3.czardas, from Old Iranian cathwr, four. II. Multiplicatives *kweturs,*kwetrus, and combining forms *kwetur-,*kwetru-.1.cahier, carillon, carnet, casern, quaternary, quaternion, quire1, from Latin quater, four times. 2.cadre, quadrate, quadrille1, quarrel2, quarry2; escadrille, squad, square, trocar, from Latin quadrum, square. 3. quadri-, from Latin quadri-, four. 4.quadrant, from Latin quadrns, a fourth part. 5.quarantine, from Latin quadrgint, forty (-gint, ten times; see dek). 6.quadricentenary, from Latin quadri(n)gent, four hundred. 7. Variant form *kwet(w)-.a. tetra-, from Greek tetra-, four; b.tessera; diatessaron, from Greek tessares,tettares, four; c.tetrad, from Greek tetras, group of four; d. zero-grade form *kwt(w)-.trapezium, from Greek tra-, four. III. Ordinal adjective *kwetur-to-.1a.fourth, from Old English fortha,fowertha, fourth; b.firkin, from Middle Dutch veerde, fourth; c.farthing, from Old English forthing,forthung, fourth part of a penny; d.filler2, from Old High German fiordo, fourth. a–d all from Germanic *fe(d)worthn-.2.quadrille2, quadroon, quart, quartan, quarter, quarto, from Latin qurtus, fourth, quarter. (Pokorny keter- 642.)
ower, four; b. forty, from Old English f
). a–c all from Germanic *fe(d)wor-, probably from *kwetwor-. 2. quatrain; cater-cornered, quattrocento, from Latin quattuor, four. 3. czardas, from Old Iranian cathw
r
, four.
, four hundred. 7. Variant form *kwet(w)
-. a. tetra-, from Greek tetra-, four; b. tessera; diatessaron, from Greek tessares, tettares, four; c. tetrad, from Greek tetras, group of four; d. zero-grade form *kwt(w)
et
