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to quarter

to quarter

5 9.9
To kill someone by tying each limb to a horse and pulling them apart
  • verb
  • /ˈkwɔrtər/
  • Offensive
: desmembrar
  • The king ordered that the traitors be quartered as a warning to others.
  • drawn and quartered
  • hanged, drawn, and quartered

They also the six leaders were drawn and quartered and King Court was gibbeted alive.

Examples

  • Brandreth, Ludlam, and Turner were sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered.

    Academic text (2010)
  • He was hanged, drawn, and quartered.

  • I should have you drawn and quartered!

  • Have her drawn and quartered.

  • Perhaps after that, you can have me drawn and quartered.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • I'll see you drawn and quartered!

  • I'll see you drawn and quartered.

  • Why am I the only one who wants to see that bastard drawn and quartered?

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Traitors are drawn and quartered, and their property taken by the Crown.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • In ancient times, traitors were often quartered publicly to instill fear.

Synonyms

to draw and quarter
vsto quarter
  • Offensive
5 9.9

To kill someone by tying limbs to four horses and pulling them apart, or to punish very harshly

is the shorter historical term for the same method
to draw
vsto quarter
  • NSFW
3 9.9

Pull a person apart by tying their limbs to horses

is used mainly for the single pulling step rather than the full ritual
to hang, draw and quarter
vsto quarter
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To threaten or kill someone by hanging, cutting their body open and dividing it into four parts

focuses only on the limb pulling step not the other preparatory actions

Antonyms

100 3.5

Decide not to hurt someone even though you could

Idioms

11 1.3

Happens every three months

5 9.9

To kill someone by tying limbs to four horses and pulling them apart, or to punish very harshly

1 9.9

To threaten or kill someone by hanging, cutting their body open and dividing it into four parts

Phrasal Verbs

9.9

To become suddenly full of energy and talk a lot

to quarter-ass
  • Offensive
9.9

To do something with little effort or care

Compounds

52 1.0

One of four equal parts of a whole

49 2.5

A distance equal to one fourth of a mile, about 400 meters

A period of twenty-five years

13 1.0

A period of fifteen minutes

A weight equal to one quarter of a pound or four ounces

5 3.7

A small, strong American horse bred for short, fast races like quarter-mile sprints

last quarter
  • Specialized
3 4.1

Half the Moon is lit when it comes after a full moon and before a new moon

first quarter
  • Specialized
2 3.2

The time when the Moon looks half lit about one week after the new moon

A historic area in Paris known for cafes, bookshops, and student life

quarter note
  • Specialized
2 3.9

A note that lasts for one beat in common time

quarter section
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A piece of land about 160 acres that is half a mile on each side

quarter tone
  • Specialized
1 8.7

A musical interval half the size of a semitone used in some modern and non-Western music

1 9.9

One of four days each year when people must pay rent or other bills

Fighting that happens at very short distance between people, often hand-to-hand

A curved part of a circle that is one quarter of the whole

1 9.9

A local court in England and Wales that met four times a year to try crimes before 1972

quarter round
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A small curved strip of wood or plastic used where a floor meets a wall to hide the gap

quarter crack
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A vertical crack on the inside of a horse's front hoof that can make the horse limp

quarter-tone
  • Specialized
1 9.3

A small musical interval half a semitone used in some music

A wild leafy plant with edible leaves often used like spinach

quarter stock
  • Specialized
1 8.0

A share with a fixed value of $25

quarter plate
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small piece of glass for early cameras, about 3 by 4 inches

quarter rest
  • Specialized
1 4.7

A music symbol showing silence for one beat

9.9

A unit of length equal to 10,000 km, one fourth of the distance from the North Pole to the Equator

9.9

A person who has one grandparent from a different racial or caste group

quarter-ass job
  • Offensive
9.9

Work done badly that gives bad results

9.9

A woody vine from the southern United States with bright flowers and a cross-shaped stem when cut

three-quarter binding
  • Specialized
9.9

A book with its spine and most of the sides covered in a different material like leather

Surface Forms

quarter infinitive
quartered past
quartered past participle
quartering present participle
quarters third person singular

Etymology

Quarter comes from Latin quartus 'fourth', and in history the terrible act called 'quartering' meant dividing a body into four parts, which is why the word was used for that execution.