英语词源词典 Q.docVIP

Q 16th letter of the classical Roman alphabet, from the Phoenician equivalent of Heb. koph, which was used for the more guttural of the two k sounds in Semitic. The letter existed, but was little used and not alphabetized, in Gk.; the stereotypical connection with -u- began in Latin. Anglo-Saxon scribes adopted the habit at first, but later used spellings with cw- or cu-. The qu- pattern returned to Eng. with the Norman Conquest. Scholars use -q- alone to transliterate Sem. koph (e.g. Quran, Qatar, Iraq). In Christian theology, Q has been used since 1901 to signify the hypothetical source of passages shared by Matthew and Luke, but not in Mark; probably it is an abbreviation of Ger. Quelle source. Q.E.D. 1760, abbrev. of L. quod erat demonstrandum which was to be demonstrated. q.t. slang for quiet, attested from 1884. qua as, in the capacity of, 1647, from L. qua, abl. sing. fem. of qui who, from PIE *kwo-, stem of relative and interrogative pronouns (cf. O.E. hwa who, hw?t what; Goth. hvas who; Gk. posos how much?). quaalude 1965, proprietary name (trademark by Wm. H. Rohrer Inc., Ft. Washington, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.) of methaqualone. quack (v.) to make a duck sound, 1617, quelke, of echoic origin (cf. M.Du. quacken, O.C.S. kvakati, L. coaxare to croak, Gk. koax the croaking of frogs, Hitt. akuwakuwash frog). M.E. on the quakke (14c.) meant hoarse, croaking. quack (n.) medical charlatan, 1638, short for quacksalver (1579), from Du. kwaksalver, lit. hawker of salve, from M.Du. quacken to brag, boast, lit. to croak (see quack (v.)) + zalf salve. Cf. Ger. Quacksalber, Dan. kvaksalver, Swed. kvacksalvare. quadrangle c.1430, from O.Fr. quadrangle (13c.), from L.L. quadrangulum four-sided figure, prop. neut. of L. adj. quadrangulus having four quarters, from L. quattuor four + angulus angle. The shortened form quad for quadrangle of a college, is first recorded 1820 in Oxford slang. quadrant 1398, a quarter of a day, six hours, from