quieten
1132
children; give your father some peace and quiet. 2 on the
quiet infml without telling anyone; secretly
**qui-et-en** /'kwaɪətn/ BrE || **quiet** AmE — *v* **1** [I;T(DOWN)] to
(cause to) become quiet: *The children were shouting, but they
soon quietened down.* **2** [T] to make (fears, worries etc) less
severe; ALLAY
**qui-et-is-m** /'kwaɪətɪzəm/ *n* [U] **1** a religious system which
teaches that one should give up all desires, and gain peace
by thinking quietly about God and holy things **2** *often derog*
calm acceptance of things as they are, without any effort to
change them: *political quietism* —**ist** *n*
**qui-e-tude** /'kwaɪətju:d||-tu:d/ *n* [U] *fml* calmness; stillness
**qui-e-tus** /kwaɪ'i:təs, kwi'etəs||kwar'i:təs/ *n* [C usually sing.]
*lit or fml rare* **1** death, or the act which brings it **2** the
settlement of something by bringing it to an end: *She gave
the false rumour its quietus.*
**quiff** /kwɪf/ *n* BrE the part of a man's hairstyle where the hair
stands up at the front over the forehead
**quill** /kwɪl/ *n* **1** also **quill pen** a pen made from a large bird's
feather, used in the past **2** one of the long pointed things
that grow on the back of a PORCUPINE
**quilt** /kwɪlt/ *n* a cloth cover
for a bed filled with soft
warm material such as feath-
ers: *a patchwork quilt* ➔ see
also CONTINENTAL QUILT
**quilt-ed** /'kwɪltd/ *adj* made
with cloth containing soft
material with stitching
across it: *a quilted housecoat*
**'quilting ,bee** *n* AmE *old-fash* a
group of women who get
together to make QUILTS
**quin** /kwɪn/ BrE || **quint** /kwɪnt/ AmE — *n infml* for QUINTUPLET
**quince** /kwɪns/ *n* a hard fruit related to the apple, used
especially for making jelly
**Quind-len, An-na** /'kwɪndlən, 'ænə/ (1953–) a US writer and
JOURNALIST, whose NOVELS include *One True Thing* and *Black
and Blue*. She often writes about the subject of families, and
writes articles for *The New York Times* and *Newsweek*.
**quin-ine** /'kwɪni:n||'kwaɪnaɪn/ *n* [U] a drug used for treating
fevers, especially MALARIA
**'quinnine ,water** *n* [U] AmE TONIC WATER
**Quin-qua-ge-si-ma** /ˌkwɪŋkwə'dʒesɪmə/ *n* [U] *tech* the
Sunday before Lent (from Latin quinquaginta, meaning 50,
since Quinquagesima is about 50 days before Easter)
**quin-tes-sence** /kwin'tesəns/ *n* [the S+of] *fml* the perfect
type or example: *John is the quintessence of good manners.*
—**sential** /ˌkwɪntɪ'senʃəl/ *adj*: *This film is the quintessen-
tial horror movie.* —**sentially** *adv*
**quin-tet, -tette** /kwɪn'tet/ *n* **1** [+sing./pl. v] five singers or
musicians performing together: *A quintet is/are playing
tonight.* **2** a piece of music for five performers ➔ compare
QUARTET, SEXTET
**quin-tu-plet** /'kwɪntjuplɪt, kwɪn'tju:p-||kwɪn'tp-/ also
**quin** BrE || **quint** AmE — *n* [usually pl.] any of five children
born of the same mother at the same time
**quip**¹ /kwɪp/ *n* a clever amusing remark made without
planning it in advance
**quip**² *v* -pp- [I] to make a quip
**quire** /kwaɪər/ *n* 24 pieces of paper ➔ compare REAM
**quirk** /kwɜ:k||kwɜ:rk/ *n* **1** a strange happening or accident:
*By some quirk of fate the two of us were on the same
train.* **2** a strange little habit or part of a person's character;
FOIBLE: *One of his quirks is that he refuses to travel by train.*
—**y** *adj* —**ily** *adv* —**iness** *n* [U]
**quis-ling** /'kwɪzlɪŋ/ *n derog* someone who helps an enemy
country that has taken control of his/her own country (from
Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian politician who helped the
Germans in Norway during World War II)
**quit**¹ /kwɪt/ *v* quit (also quitted BrE), present participle quit-
ting **1** [I;T] *infml* to stop (doing something) and leave: *I've
quit my job.* | [+v-ing] *I've quit working.* | *I'd had enough, so I
quit.* **2** [T] *old use* to leave (a place)
**quit**² *adj* [F+of] becoming rare finished with; free of: *We're quit of
all our difficulties.*
**quite** /kwaɪt/ *predeterminer, adv* **1** completely; perfectly: *quite
different* | *I'm not quite ready to go.* | 'Are you ready?' 'Not
quite.' | *You're quite right.* | *If you want to go, that's quite all
right with me.* | *not quite all/enough/so much* | *It's quite the
best shop in the area.* | *I don't quite know what to say.* (shows
annoyance) *If you've quite finished interrupting, perhaps I
can continue.* **2** especially BrE to some degree; rather: *quite a
good story* | *quite small* | *quite a lot of people* | *It takes quite
a/some time.* | *It was quite good, but not perfect.* **3** especially BrE
(used as an answer) I agree; that's true: 'It's unreasonable to
expect any improvement at this stage.' 'Quite (so).' **4** AmE very:
*That meal was quite good.* **5** quite a/an (especially AmE) often
apprec an unusual; an above average: *That was quite a
party/quite some party.* (=it was unusually noisy or nice or
long or wild) | *She's quite a girl.* **6** quite something *infml*
unusual, especially very good: *It's quite something to be made
a government minister at the age of 29.*
**USAGE** In American English **quite** can be used to mean
'very' in sentences where in British English it means
'fairly': *That dress is quite nice* means 'very nice' in
American English and 'fairly nice' in British English. ➔ see
also FAIRLY (USAGE)
**Qui-to** /'ki:təu/ the capital city of Ecuador, in the north of the
country. It is in a valley near Pinchincha, an active VOLCANO
in the Andes mountains.
**quits** /kwɪts/ *adj* [F(with)] *infml* back on an even level with
someone after an argument, after repaying money which is
owed etc: *Now we're quits.* | *I'm quits with him.* | *Give me £5
and we'll call it quits.* (=agree that nothing more is owed) ➔
see also double or quits (DOUBLE)
**quit-ter** /'kwɪtər/ *n infml derog* a person who lacks the courage
to finish things when they meet difficulties
**quiv-er**¹ /'kwɪvər/ *v* [I(with, at)] to make a slight trembling
movement, especially from fear or excitement: *I quivered
(with fear) at the sound.* | *Her voice was quivering with anger.*
—**quiver** *n*: *I felt a quiver of excitement.*
**quiver**² *n* a container for carrying ARROWS
**qui vive** /ˌki: 'vi:v/ *n* Fr **on the qui vive** *infml* watchful; careful
to notice
**quix-ot-ic** /kwɪk'sɒtɪk||-'sɑ:/ *adj* trying to do the impossible,
often so as to help others, while getting oneself into danger
(from Don Quixote, HERO of the NOVEL *Don Quixote de la
Mancha*): *His behaviour was very quixotic.* ➔ see also DON
QUIXOTE —**ally** /kli/ *adv*
**quiz**¹ /kwɪz/ *n* pl. **-zz-** **1** a competition or game in which
competitors have to answer questions: *a TV quiz
show* **2** especially AmE a short examination: *The teacher gave
us a quiz at the end of the lesson.*
**quiz**² *v* **-zz-** [T(about)] to ask questions of (someone), especially
repeatedly: *He quizzed me about where I'd been last night.*
**quiz-mas-ter** /'kwɪzmɑ:stər||-mæ-/ *n* especially AmE for QUES-
TION MASTER
**'quiz show** *n* a QUIZ game on television or on the radio
**quiz-zi-cal** /'kwɪzɪkəl/ *adj* (of a smile or look) suggesting
that one is asking a question without saying anything or
that one is laughing at the other person: *a quizzical glance*
—**cally** /-kli/ *adv*
**quoit** /kwɔɪt, kɔɪt/ *n* a ring that is thrown over a small
upright post in a game (quoits) often played on ships
**quon-dam** /'kwɒndəm, -dæm||'kwɑ:n-/ *adj* [A] *pomp* (at) one
time; former: *a quondam friend*
**Quonset hut** /'kwɒnset ˌhʌt||'kwɑ:n-/ *trademark AmE* a type
of building that is shaped like half a tube and is made of
iron sheets. Quonset huts are used especially as military
buildings. ➔ compare NISSEN HUT
**quo-rate** /'kwɔ:rət/ *adj tech* (of a meeting) having a quorum
present ➔ opposite INQUORATE
**Quorn** /kwɔ:n||kwɔ:rn/ *trademark BrE* a type of substance used
instead of meat in cooking, especially by VEGETARIANS. It is a
type of PROTEIN that is related to a MUSHROOM.
**quo-rum** /'kwɔ:rəm/ *n* a stated number of people, without
whom a meeting cannot be held: *As soon as John arrives we
will have a quorum, and the meeting can begin.*