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Quaternary

qua·ter·nary

UK/ˈkwɒt.əˌnɛɹ.iː/ US/ˈkwɑt.əɹˌnɛɹ.i/ uncommon
noun (2) adjective (2)

noun

1.
2.

adjective

1.

consisting of or especially arranged in sets of four

  • “quaternate leaves”
  • “a quaternary compound”
Synonyms
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2.

coming next after the third and just before the fifth in position or time or degree or magnitude

  • “the quaternary period of geologic time extends from the end of the tertiary period to the present”
Synonyms
Similar

Origin

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.

Phrases

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

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.