Part 723

Quas*sa"tion (?), n. [L. quassatio, from quassare to shake. See Quash to crush.] The act of shaking, or the state of being shaken. Gayton.

Quas"si*a (?), n. [NL. From the name of a negro, Quassy, or Quash, who prescribed this article as a specific.] The wood of several tropical American trees of the order SimarubeÊ, as Quassia amara, PicrÊna excelsa, and Simaruba amara. It is intensely bitter, and is used in medicine and sometimes as a substitute for hops in making beer.

Quas"sin (?), n. [Cf. F. quassine. See Quassia.] (Chem.) The bitter principle of quassia, extracted as a white crystalline substance; -- formerly called quassite. [Written also quassin, and quassine.]

Quat (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (a) A pustule. [Obs.] (b) An annoying, worthless person. Shak.

Quat, v. t. To satiate; to satisfy. [Prov. Eng.]

Qua"ta (?), n. (Zoˆl.) The coaita.

Quatch (?), a. Squat; flat. [Obs.] Shak.

Qua"ter-cous`in (?), n. [F. quatre four + cousin, E. cousin.] A cousin within the first four degrees of kindred.

Qua*ter"na*ry (?), a. [L. quaternarius consisting of four each, containing four, fr. quaterni four each, fr. quattuor four: cf. F. quaternaire. See Four.]

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

2. (Geol.) Later than, or subsequent to, the Tertiary; Post-tertiary; as, the Quaternary age, or Age of man.

Qua*ter"na*ry, n. [L. numerus quaternarius: cf. F. quaternaire.] 1. The number four. Boyle.

2. (Geol.) The Quaternary age, era, or formation. See the Chart of Geology.

Qua*ter"nate (?), a. Composed of, or arranged in, sets of four; quaternary; as, quaternate leaves.

Qua*ter"ni*on (?), n. [L. quaternio, fr. quaterni four each. See Quaternary.] 1. The number four. [Poetic]

2. A set of four parts, things, or person; four things taken collectively; a group of four words, phrases, circumstances, facts, or the like.

Delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers.

Acts xii. 4.

Ye elements, the eldest birth Of Nature's womb, that in quaternion run.

Milton.

The triads and quaternions with which he loaded his sentences.

Sir W. Scott.

3. A word of four syllables; a quadrisyllable.

4. (Math.) The quotient of two vectors, or of two directed right lines in space, considered as depending on four geometrical elements, and as expressible by an algebraic symbol of quadrinomial form.

The science or calculus of quaternions is a new mathematical method, in which the conception of a quaternion is unfolded and symbolically expressed, and is applied to various classes of algebraical, geometrical, and physical questions, so as to discover theorems, and to arrive at the solution of problems. Sir W. R. Hamilton.

Qua*ter"ni*on, v. t. To divide into quaternions, files, or companies. Milton.

Qua*ter"ni*ty (?), n. [LL. quaternitas, fr. L. quaterni four each: cf. F. quaternitÈ.] 1. The number four. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

2. The union of four in one, as of four persons; -- analogous to the theological term trinity.