quercitannic 
The tannin of the quercitron, or qwrcitannic acid. 
C. T, Dans, Leather, p. 101. 
quercite (kwer'sit), n. [< L. quercus, an oak, 
+ -ite?.] A crystalline substance, CH 7 (OH) 6 , 
derived from acorns, which resembles the su- 
gars in that it is sweet and optically active, but 
does not ferment with yeast or reduce metallic 
salts. 
quercitin (kwer'si-tin), n. [Accom. from quer- 
citron, as if < L. quercetum, an oak-wood (< 
quercus, an oak), 4- -in 2 .] A substance de- 
rived from quercitrin by the action of mineral 
acids. 
quercitrin (kwer'sit-rin), n. [< quercitr(on) + 
-in 2 .] A glucoside, C3 6 H 38 O 2 Q, which forms 
yellow crystalline needles or tablets. It is the 
coloring principle of quercitron-bark. Also 
called quercitrons. 
quercitron (kwer'sit-ron), . [Irreg. < L. qui-r- 
cus, an oak, + citrus, a tree of the lemon kind : 
see citron.'] 1 . The black or dyers' oak, Quercus 
tinctoria, a tree from 70 to 100 feet high, common 
through the eastern half of the United States 
and in southern Canada. Its wood Is of some value, 
and its bark is of considerable importance. The latter, 
though outwardly dark, is inwardly yellow, whence the 
tree is also called yellow or yellow-bark oak. 
2. The bark of this tree. It contains, in the princi- 
ple quercitrin, a yellow dye, which is now used in the form 
of a preparation called flavin. It is also used for tanning, 
and occasionally in medicine, but the coloring matter hin- 
ders these applications. 
quercitron-bark (kwer'sit-ron-bark), n. Same 
as quercitron, 2. 
quercitron-oak (kwer'sit-ron-6k), . Same as 
quercitron, 1. 
quercivorous (kwer-siv'o-rus), a. [< L. quercus, 
an oak, + vorare, devour.] In zatil., feeding on 
the oak, as an insect. 
Quercus (kwer'kus), n. [NL. (Malpighi, 1675), 
< L. quercus, an oak, = E. fir, q. v.J A genus 
of dicotyledonous trees, the oaks, type of the 
apetalous order Cupuliferse and of the tribe 
Quercinese. It is characterized by usually slender and 
pendulous or erect staminate catkins, the stamens and 
calyx-lobes of each flower being six in number, and by 
the scattered or clustered fertile flowers, composed of an 
ovary commonly with three cells, six ovules, and a three- 
lobed stigma, surrounded by an involucre of more or less 
consolidated scales, which becomes a hardened cupnle or 
cup around tbe flat or rounded base of the nut or acorn. 
There are about 300 species, natives of all north temperate 
regions, extending through Mexican mountains and the 
Andes into the United States of Colombia, and in the moun- 
tains of Asia to the Moluccas. They are entirely absent 
in South America beyond the equator, in Australasia and 
the Pacific islands, and in Africa outside of the Mediter- 
ranean region. They are mainly trees of large size, hard 
and durable wood, and slow growth, sprouting repeatedly 
from the root ; a few only are never more than shrubs. 
The characteristic oak-leaf is alternate, thin, and veiny, 
deeply and pinnately lobed, with the lobes either rounded, 
as in the white oak, or ending in bristle-points, as in the 
black and red oaks; but the genus includes great diver- 
sity of form, ranging to thick and entire evergreen leaves 
in the live-oak and others. (See cut under oak.) The fruit 
or acorn matures in one year in the white oak, bur-oak, 
post-oak, live-oak, and the chestnut-oaks; in other At- 
lantic species, the biennial-fruited oaks, in two. The yel- 
lowish catkins precede or accompany the leaves. The 
numerous American and European species all belong (with 
the exception of <j. densiflora, the peach-oak of California) 
to the subgenus Lepidobalanus (Endlicher, 1844), with 
slender and loose-flowered proper aments, and broad 
cupules with imbricated scales. Of these over 60 are found 
in Mexico and Central America, and about 40 within the 
United States, 25 of which occur only east of the Rocky 
Mountains, and about 15 in California. They extend in 
North America as far north as 45, in Europe to 56. The 
oaks of central and eastern Asia constitute flve other sec- 
tions, mostly with erect staminate spikes, and include 
about 108 species. See oak, acorn, blade-jack, blue-jack, 
encino, holm-oak, kermes-oak, lice-oak, pin-oak, post-oak, 
red-oak, roble, scrub-oak, shingle-oak, valonia-oak, wainscot- 
oak, water-oak, wittaw-oak. 
queret, n. An obsolete form of quire 1 , quire 2 . 
querelat (kwe-re'la), n. [L., a complaint, la- 
ment: see quarrel 1 .] A complaint to a court. 
See audita ^weretaDuplex querela. See double 
quarrel, under quarrel^. Querela Inofflclosi testa- 
mentl, in civil law, an action by which an inofficious or 
undutiful will was attacked. Querela nullitatis in 
systems of procedure based on the Roman law, an action 
to get a judicial decree that an act was void, 
querelet, querellet, n. Obsolete (Middle Eng- 
lish) forms of quarrel 1 . 
querent 1 (kwe'rent), n. [< L. queren(t-)s,ppr. of 
queri, complain, lament. Cf. quarrel 1 , querela, 
querimony, etc.] A complainant ; a plaintiff. 
querent 2 (kwe'rent), . [< L. quxren(t-)s, ppr. 
of quserere, ask," inquire: see quest 1 .] An in- 
quirer. [Rare.] 
When a patient or querent came to him [Dr. Napier], he 
presently went to his closet to pray. Aubrey, Misc. , p. 133. 
querimonious (kwer-i-mo'ni-us), a. [< L. as 
if "querimoniosus, < querimonin, a complaint: 
see querimony.] Complaining; querulous; apt 
to complain. 
4906 
querimoniously (kwer-i-mo'ni-us-li), adv. [< 
qiierimoiiious + -ly 2 .] In a querimonious man- 
ner; with complaint; querulously. 
To thee, dear Tom, myself addressing, 
Most querimoniougly confessing 
That I of late have been compressing. 
Sir J. Denham, A Dialogue. 
querimoniousness (kwer-i-mo'ni-us-nes), n. [< 
queri HIOH ioux + -ness.] The character of be- 
ing querimonious ; disposition to complain ; a 
complaining temper. 
querimonyt (kwer'i-mo-ni), n. [< F. querimo- 
nie = It. querimonia, querimonio, < L. qtii-i-imn- 
nia, a complaint, < queri, complain, lament: 
see querent 1 .] A complaint ; a complaining. 
Hys brother's dayly querimonye. 
Hall, Edward IV., an. 1". 
Here cometh over many quirimonies, and complaints 
against me, of lording it over my brethern. 
Cushman, quoted in Bradford's Plymouth Plantation, p. 51. 
querist (kwe'rist), . [< quer-y + -ist.] One 
who inquires or asks questions. 
And yet a late hot Querist for Tithes, whom ye may know, 
by his Wits lying ever beside him in the Margin, to be ever 
beside his Wits in the Text. Milton, Considerations. 
I shall propose some considerations to my gentle querut. 
Spectator. 
queristert, n. A variant of quirister, for chor- 
ister. 
querk 1 (kwerk), v. [< ME. querken = OPries. 
querka, querdza, North Fries, querkt, qttirke = 
Icel. kyrkja, kvirkja, throttle, = OSw. quarka 
= Dan. kvserke, throttle, strangle, suffocate ; 
from the noun, North Fries, querk = Icel. kverk 
= Dan. kvaerk, throat. Ct. querken.] I. trans. 
To throttle ; choke ; stifle ; suffocate. 
II. intrans. To grunt; moan. HalliweU. 
[Prov. Eng.] 
querk 2 (kwerk), . An obsolete or dialectal 
form of quirk 1 . 
querkent (kwer'ken), v. t. [Also quirken; < ME. 
querkenen; < querk 1 + -en 1 .] Same as querk 1 . 
Chekenyd or qirerkenyd. Prompt. Pan. (HaUiwell.) 
queri (kwerl), v. t. [Also quirl; a dial. var. of 
twirl, perhaps due to confusion with curl. Cf. G. 
querlcn, twirl.] To twirl ; turn or wind round ; 
coil : as, to queri a cord, thread, or rope. [U. 8.] 
queri ( kwerl), n. [< queri, v.] A twist; a curl. 
[U. 8.] 
And the crooks and querli of the branches on the floor. 
Harper's Mag., LXX. 21. 
quern (kwern), n. [Also dial, kern, and former- 
ly earn; < ME. quern, cwerne, < AS. cweorn, 
cwyrn = OS. quern, querna = OFries. quern = D. 
kweern = MLG. quern, querne= OHG. chwirita, 
quirn, churn, MHG. churne, kurn, kiirne = Icel. 
ki-ern, mod. kvorn = Sw. qvarn = Dan. kvsern 
= Goth, kwairnus, a millstone, a quern.] 1. 
A stone hand-mill for grinding grain. The most 
usual form consists of two circular flat stones, the upper 
one pierced in the center, and revolving on a wooden or 
querulous 
We stopped at a little hut, where we saw an old woman 
grinding with the quern. Boewell, Johnson, IV. x. 
The old hand-mill, or quern, such as Pennant sketched 
the Hebrides women grinding with in the last century, 
has not yet gone out ; Dr. Mitchell says there are thou- 
sands of them at work in Scotland, where still 
"The music for a hungry wame 
Is grinding o' the quernie." 
E. B. Tylor (Academy, Sept. 18, 1880). 
2. A hand-mill used for grinding pepper, mus- 
tard, and the like. Such querns were used even 
on the table, and as early as the sixteenth cen- 
tury. 
quern (kwern), v. t. and i. [Formerly also kern, 
curn; < quern, n.] To grind. 
Fly where men feel 
The turning (var. cunning] axel-tree ; and those that suffer 
Beneath the chariot of the snowy beare. 
Chapmmc, Bussy D'Ambois, v. 
quern-stone (kwern'ston), n. A millstone. 
Theyre corne in quernstoan they do grind. 
Stanihurst, tr. of Virgil, i. (Naret.) 
querpo, . See cuerpo. 
Querquedula (kwer-kwed'u-la), . [NL. 
(Stephens, 1824), < L. querquedula, a kind of 
teal; by some doubtfully connected with Gr. 
xepKoiipof, < Klpxovpof, a kind of light boat. Hence 
ult. E. kestrel, q. v.] A genus of Anatidee and 
subfamily Anatinee, containing a number of spe- 
cies of all countries, notable for their small 
size, beauty, and excellence of flesh ; the teal. 
The common teal of Europe is Q. crecca ; the garganey or 
summer teal is Q. circia; the green-winged teal of North 
America is Q. carolinensis; the blue-winged, Q. discors; the 
cinnamon, Q. cyanoptera. See Nettion, and cut under teal. 
querquedule (kwer'kwe-dul), . [< Querque- 
dula, q. v.] A book-name of ducks of the genus 
Querquedula ; a teal. 
querret, . A Middle English form of quarry?. 
querrourt, " A Middle English form of quur- 
rier 1 . 
querryt, See equery. 
quertt, An obsolete form of quart"*. 
Querula (kwer'jj-la), n. [NL., fern, of L. qm>ru- 
lus, complaining: "see querulous.] A genus of 
Stone Querns for Grinding. Dublin Mi 
metal pin inserted in the lower. In using the quern the 
grain is dropped with one hand into the central opening, 
while with the other the upper stone is revolved by means 
of a stick inserted in a small hole near the edge. 
Men wende that bele Isaude 
Ne coude hem noght of love werne ; 
And yet she that grynt at a queme 
Is al to good to ese hir harte. 
Chaucer, House of Fame, 1. 1798. 
Some apple-colour'd corn 
Ground in faire quena ; and some did spindles turn. 
Chapman, Odyssey, vii. 139. 
Piahau {Qufntla furfurata). 
fruit-crows, giving name to the subfamily Que- 
rulitue; the type is Q. purpurata, the piahau. 
neillot, 1816. 
querulation(kwer-9-la'shon),n. [<ML. *queru- 
latio(n-), < querulari, complain, < L. querulus. 
complaining: see querulous.] A complaint; 
murmuring. 
Will not these mournings, menaces, quertilations, stir 
your hearts, because they are derived from God through 
us, his organ-pipes, as if they had lost their vigour by the 
way? Rev. T. Adam*, Works, I. 349. 
querulentialt (kwer-ij-len'shal), a. [< queru- 
lous) + -ent + -ial.] Having a tendency to 
querulousness ; querulous. [Bare.] 
Walpole had by nature a propensity, and by constitu- 
tion a plea, for being captious and querulential, for he was 
a martyr to the gout. Cumberland, Memoirs, I. 23. 
Querulinse (kwer-o-li'ne), n. pi. [NL., < Queru- 
la + -.] A subfamily of Cotingidse, taking 
name from the genus Querula: same as Gym- 
nodtrinse. Swainson, 1837. 
querulous (kwer'ij-lus), a. [< L. querulus, full 
of complaints, complaining, < queri, complain, 
lament: see querent 1 .] 1. Complaining; habit- 
ually complaining; disposed to murmur or ex- 
press dissatisfaction: as, a querulous man. 
querulous and weak ! whose useless brain 
Once thought of nothing, and now thinks in vain ; 
Whose eye reverted weeps o'er all the past. 
Cowper, Hope, 1. 29. 
2. Expressing complaint; proceeding from a 
complaining habit : as, a querulous tone of voice. 
Quickened the fire and laid the board, 
Mid the crone's angry, querulous word 
Of surly wonder. 
William Morrii, Earthly Paradise, III. e9. 
3f. Quarrelsome. 
