quattuor

Latin

**Latin numbers ^(edit)**
	40
← 3	IV 4	5 → ^{[a], [b]}
Cardinal: quattuor Ordinal: quārtus Adverbial: quater Multiplier: quadruplex, quadruplus Distributive: quadrīnī, quaternī Fractional: quadrāns, teruncius

Alternative forms

quattor (rare), quatuor (medieval)
Symbol: IV or IIII or IIII^or

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *kʷettwōr (*t duplicated preceding *-w-), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr, neuter plural of *kʷetwóres. Cognates include Sanskrit चतुर् (catur), Old Armenian չորք (čʿorkʿ), Ancient Greek τέσσαρες (téssares), and Old English fēower (English four).

The change of *e to a is unexplained; the expected form would be *quettuor.

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈkʷat.tu.or/, [ˈkʷät̪ːuɔr]

(Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈkwat.tu.or/, [ˈkwät̪ːuor]

Numeral

quattuor (indeclinable)

four; 4
- 8 CE, Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.116–118:
  Iuppiter antiqui contraxit tempora veris perque hiemes aestusque et inaequalis autumnos et breve ver spatiis exegit quattuor annum.
  Venerable Jove brought together the time of spring and through winter, summer, variable autumn, and brief spring completed the year in four seasons.
- 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Leviticus 11:23:
  quicquid autem ex volucribus quattuor tantum habet pedes execrabile erit vobis
  But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.

Derived terms

quadrangulātus
quadrāns
quadrantal
quadrantālis
quadrantārius
quadrātārius
quadrātē
quadrātiō
quadrātum
quadrātūra
quadrātus
quadriangulum
quadriangulus
quadridēns
quadriduānus
quadriduum
quadriennis
quadriennium
quadriēris
quadrifāriam
quadrifāriter
quadrifārius
quadrifidus
quadrifīnālis
quadrifīnium
quadrifluus
quadrifluvium
quadriforis
quadrifrōns
quadrīgae
quadrīgālis
quadrigamus
quadrīgārius
quadrīgātus
quadrigeminus
quadrigōnus
quadrīgulae
quadriiugis
quadriiugus
quadrilaterus
quadrilībris
quadrimanus
quadrīmātus
quadrimembris
quadrimenstruus
quadrimestris
quadrīmulus
quadrīmus
quadringentī
quadringentiēs
quadrīnī
quadripartiō
quadripartītiō
quadripartītō
quadripartītus
quadrirēmis
quadrisēmus
quadrivium
quadrō
quater
quaternārius
quaternī
quaterniō

Related terms

quādra
quadrāgintā
quādrus
quārtus

Descendants

Balkan Romance:
- Aromanian: patru, paturu
- Istro-Romanian: påtru
- Megleno-Romanian: patru
- Romanian: patru
Dalmatian:
- quater, quatar, kuatri, čatro, quattro
Italo-Romance:
- Corsican: quattru
- Gallurese: cattru, quattru[1]
- Italian: quattro
  - → Sabir: quatr' (or via some other Romance variety)
- Neapolitan: quatto
  Tarantino: quatt
- Sicilian: quattru
- Sassarese: quattru[1]
North Italian:
- Emilian: quâter
- Friulian: cuatri
- Istriot: quatro
- Ladin: cater
- Ligurian: quattro
- Lombard: quatar, quater, quasar
- Piedmontese: quatr
- Romagnol: quatar
- Romansch: quatter, quater
- Venetian: quatro
Gallo-Romance:
- Franco-Provençal: quatro
- Old French: quatre, catre, qatre
  - Franc-Comtois: quaitre
  - Middle French: quatre
    - French: quatre (see there for further descendants)
  - Norman: quate (continental), quatre (Guernsey), quat' (Jersey)
  - Picard: quate
  - Walloon: cwate
Occitano-Romance:
- Catalan: quatre
- Old Occitan: catre, quatre
  - Occitan: quatre, qüate
Ibero-Romance:
- Navarro-Aragonese: quatro
  - Aragonese: quatre, quatro
- Old Leonese: quatro
  - Asturian: cuatro, cuatru, cuetru
  - Leonese: cuatru
  - Mirandese: quatro
- Old Portuguese: quatro
  - Fala: cuatru
  - Galician: catro
  - Portuguese: quatro (see there for further descendants)
- Old Spanish: quatro
  - Ladino: kuatro
  - Spanish: cuatro
    - Chavacano: kwatro
    - Palenquero: cuatro
Insular Romance:
- Sardinian:[1]
  Campidanese: quattru, quatturu, batturu
  Logudorese: battor
  Nuorese: battor
Borrowings:
- → French: quatuor

References

Rubattu, Antoninu (2006) Dizionario universale della lingua di Sardegna, "quattro"

“quattuor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“quattuor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
quattuor in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
- four successive days: quattuor dies continui
- to hold out for four months: obsidionem quattuor menses sustinere

[rubattu2006-1] Rubattu, Antoninu (2006) Dizionario universale della lingua di Sardegna, "quattro"