QUA 6 



PTXI'DIVM, Tufa, a small box. A fruit 

 which divides circularly into a lower and 

 upper half. 



PYX'IS. Hv^i;, from xv$i>;, the box- 

 tree. Properly a box ; but, from its re- 

 semblance, the cavity of the hip-joint. 

 See ACETABULUM. 



Q. 



Q, the seventeenth letter of the English 

 alphabet, is an articulation, borrowed 

 from the oriental koph, or quoph. It never 

 ends an English word, and is always 

 followed by u, in which it differs from k. 

 Q,, as a numeral^ stands for 500, and with 

 a dash over it "Q, for 500,000. It is often 

 used as an abbreviation for question. 



Q. E. D. An abbreviation of quod erat 

 demonstrandum, which was to be demon- 

 strated. 



Q. E.F. An abbreviation of quod erat 

 faciendum, which was to be done. 



Q. P. An abbreviation of quantum 

 placet, as much as you please. 



Q.. 8. An abbreviation of quantum suf- 

 ficiat, as much as may suffice. 



QUADRAGES'IMA. Lent : quadragesimus , 

 fortieth, because it consists of forty days. 



QCAD'RANOLE, Lat, quadratus angulus. 

 A quadrilateral figure : a surface having 

 four sides and four equal angles. 



Q,UAD'RANT, from quadrans, a fourth. 

 1. In geometry, the fourth part of a circle, 



or 90 degrees. 2. An instrument for 



taking the altitudes of the sun and stars, 

 of great use in astronomy and navigation. 

 Quadrants are variously made, but Had- 

 ley's reflecting quadrant is most com- 

 monly used. It consists of an octant 



^eighth part of a circle), an index, a 

 peculum, two horizontal glasses, two 

 creens, and two sight vanea. 



jiOLB. In trig<awme- 



5 QUA 



try, a spherical triangle*, having one side 

 equal to a quarter of a circle. 



Q,UAD'RAT, from quadratus, squared. 1 

 In printing, a piece of metal cast iiko tbft 

 letters, used for filling up the incomplete 



lines at the ends of paragraphs. 2. A 



mathematical instrument called also a line 

 of shadoics, and a geometrical square. It is 

 frequently an additional member on the 

 face of the common and some other quad- 

 rants. It is made of four plane rules, 

 joined together at right angles, where A 



is the centre, to which a plummet Is at- 

 tached. Each side is divided into 100 or 

 1000 equal parts : C and F are two sights 

 fixed on the side AD ; and GH is an index, 

 joined to the centre A, in such a manner 

 as to move freely, yet to remain in any 

 given situation. On this there are also 

 two sights, K. and L. The side DE is 

 called the line of direct shadows ; and 

 the side BE is termed the line of reversed 

 shadows. 



QTJAD'RATE, Lat. quadratus, square. 1 



Having four equal and parallel sides. 



2. In astrology, the same as qnartile. 



QUADRATIC EQUATIONS. Equations in 

 which the unknown quantity is of two 

 dimensions, or of the second degree, or 

 squared. 



QUAD'RATO (It.). In mime, the note B 

 in the natural scale. 



QUAD'RATUIX. In geometry, a mechani- 

 cal line, by means of which right lines 

 may be found equal to the circumference 

 of circles and other curves, and other 

 parts. 



QCAD'RATURE, from quadratus, squared 

 1. In geometry, the reducing of a figure 

 to a. square : the finding of asquare which 

 will be equal in area to the given figure : 

 thus, the quadrature of the circle has 

 been a mathematical problem since the 

 days of Euclid, and it is not yet solved. 



2. In astronomy, that position of the 



moon, with relation to the sun, when she 

 is equally distant from the points of 

 conjunction and opposition. 



QI'ADREL', Ital. quadrello. A sort of 

 artificial stone, made of a dry chalky 



