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The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section P and Q · Project Gutenberg — chapter 740 of 752 · ~682 words · public domain

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Quill"ing (?), n. (a) A band of linen, muslin, or the like, fluted, folded, or plaited so as somewhat to resemble a row of quills. (b) One of the rounded plaits or flutings of such a band.

Quill"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) Any plant or species of the genus Isoetes, cryptogamous plants with a cluster of elongated four-tubed rushlike leaves, rising from a corm, and containing spores in their enlarged and excavated bases. There are about seventeen American species, usually growing in the mud under still, shallow water. So called from the shape of the shape of the leaves.

Quilt (?), n. [OE. quilte, OF. cuilte, L. culcita &?; bed, cushion, mattress. Cf. 2d Counterpoint, Cushion.] Anything that is quilted; esp., a quilted bed cover, or a skirt worn by women; any cover or garment made by putting wool, cotton, etc., between two cloths and stitching them together; also, any outer bed cover.

The beds were covered with magnificent quilts.

Arbuthnot.

Quilt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Quilted; p. pr. & vb. n. Quilting.] 1. To stitch or sew together at frequent intervals, in order to confine in place the several layers of cloth and wadding of which a garment, comforter, etc., may be made; as, to quilt a coat. Dryden.

2. To wad, as a garment, with warm soft material.

3. To stitch or sew in lines or patterns.

Quilt"er (?), n. One who, or that which, quilts.

Quilt"ing, n. 1. The act of stitching or running in patterns, as in making a quilt.

2. A quilting bee. See Bee, 2.

3. The material used for making quilts.

4. (Naut.) A coating of strands of rope for a water vessel.

Quin (?), n. (Zoˆl.) A European scallop (Pecten opercularis), used as food. [Prov. Eng.]

Quin*al"dine (?), n. [Quinoline + aldehyde + aniline.] (Chem.) A colorless liquid of a slightly pungent odor, C9H6N.CH3, first obtained as a condensation product of aldehyde and aniline, and regarded as a derivative of quinoline; -- called also methyl quinoline. [Written also chinaldine.]

Qui"na*ry (?), a. [L. quinarius, from quini five each, akin to quinque five: cf. F. quinaire. See Five.] Consisting of five; arranged by fives. Boyle.

Quinary system (Zoˆl.), a fanciful classification based on the hypothesis that each group contains five types.

Qui"nate (?), a. [L. quini five each.] (Bot.) Growing in sets of five; -- said especially of leaves composed of five leaflets set at the end of a common petiole.

Qui"nate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of quinic acid. [Written also kinate.]

Quin"a*zol (?), n. [Quinoline + azote.] (Chem.) A complex nitrogenous base related to cinnoline. [Written also chinazol.]

Quince (kwns), n. [Prob. a pl. from OE. quyne, coin, OF. coin, cooin, F. coing, from L. Cydonius a quince tree, as adj., Cydonian, Gr. &?; Cydonian, &?; &?; a quince, fr. &?; Cydonia, a city in Crete, &?; the Cydonians. Cf. Quiddany.] 1. The fruit of a shrub (Cydonia vulgaris) belonging to the same tribe as the apple. It somewhat resembles an apple, but differs in having many seeds in each carpel. It has hard flesh of high flavor, but very acid, and is largely used for marmalade, jelly, and preserves.

2. (Bot.) a quince tree or shrub.

Japan quince (Bot.), an Eastern Asiatic shrub (Cydonia, formerly Pyrus, Japonica) and its very fragrant but inedible fruit. The shrub has very showy flowers, usually red, but sometimes pink or white, and is much grown for ornament. -- Quince curculio (Zoˆl.), a small gray and yellow curculio (Conotrachelus cratÊgi) whose larva lives in quinces. -- Quince tree (Bot.), the small tree (Cydonia vulgaris) which produces the quince.

Quince"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) The squinancy. Called also quinsywort.

Quinch (?), v. i. [Cf. OD. quincken to quiver, shake, Fries. quink hovering. Cf. Quich.] To stir; to wince. [Obs.] Spenser.

Quin*cun"cial (?), [L. quincuncialis, from quincunx. See Quincunx.]

1. Having the form of a quincunx.

2. (Bot.) Having the leaves of a pentamerous calyx or corolla so imbricated that two are exterior, two are interior, and the other has one edge exterior and one interior; as, quincuncial Êstivation.

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