Definition of Quaternary

1. Noun. Last 2 million years.


2. Adjective. Consisting of or especially arranged in sets of four. "A quaternary compound"
Exact synonyms: Quaternate
Similar to: Multiple

3. Noun. The cardinal number that is the sum of three and one.

4. Adjective. 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"
Exact synonyms: 4th, Fourth
Similar to: Ordinal

Definition of Quaternary

1. a. Consisting of four; by fours, or in sets of four.

2. n. The number four.

Definition of Quaternary

1. Proper noun. (geology) The geological period of the Cenozoic Era immediately following the Tertiary. It is subdivided into the Pleistocene and the Holocene Epochs. ¹

2. Adjective. Of fourth rank or order. ¹

3. Adjective. Of a mathematical expression containing e.g. x4. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Quaternary

1. [n -RIES]

Medical Definition of Quaternary

1. 1. Fourth in order. 2. Containing four elements or groups. Origin: L. Quaternarius, from quattuor = four This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology (11 Mar 2008)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Quaternary

quatch
quatched
quatches
quatching
quate
quater in die
quatercentenaries
quatercentenary
quatercentennial
quatern
quaternaries
quaternarily
quaternarist
quaternarists
quaternarization
quaternary
quaternary ammonium
quaternary ammonium compound
quaternary ammonium compounds
quaternary carbon atom
quaternary industry
quaternary structure
quaternary syphilis
quaternate
quaternation
quaternations
quaternion
quaternionic
quaternionist
quaternionists

Literary usage of Quaternary

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The American Naturalist by American Society of Naturalists, Essex Institute (1897)
"THE INFERIOR BOUNDARY OF THE Quaternary ERA. BY OSCAR H. HERSHEY. The great diversity of physical conditions of the earth's- surface in the Quaternary era ..."

2. An Introduction to Historical Geology: With Special Reference to North America by William John Miller (1916)
"As pointed out toward the beginning of the last chapter, the terms "Tertiary" and "Quaternary" are both remnants of an old geological nomenclature, ..."

3. An Introduction to Historical Geology: With Special Reference to North America by William John Miller (1916)
"As pointed out toward the beginning of the last chapter, the terms "Tertiary" and "Quaternary" are both remnants of an old geological nomenclature, ..."

4. Manual of Geology: Treating of the Principles of the Science with Special by James Dwight Dana (1894)
"The Quaternary phenomena are mainly those that pertain to the continental surface; ... The following are the periods of the Quaternary : — 3. RECENT PERIOD. ..."

5. An Introduction to Geology by William Berryman Scott (1914)
"CHAPTER XXXVI THE Quaternary PERIOD THE Quaternary is the last of the great ... Quaternary deposits are to a very large extent continental in their origin ..."

6. The Secret Doctrine: The Synthesis of Science, Religion, and Philosophy by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1897)
"TRIANGLE AND Quaternary. Q. Why is the violet, the colour of the Linga Sharira, placed al the apex of the /\, when the Macrocosm, ..."

7. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh by Royal Society of Edinburgh (1900)
"On the Eliminant of a Set of Quadrics, Ternary or Quaternary. ... The eliminant of four quaternary quadrics may be found in determinant form by a process ..."

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