quad — ONAD · Shobdo

quad /kwäd, kwɑd

▸ noun

1 a quadrangle:

students greeted him as he walked through the quad.

2 a quadruplet:

9,294 women gave birth to twins, while 147 had triplets, and five had quads.

3 a quadriceps muscle:

I have well-developed quads but my glutes are not all they could be.

4 a quad bike:

inexperienced riders on quads and mopeds.

5 quadraphonic sound:

we issued records in two forms at once, stereo and quad.

6 (in telephony) a group of four insulated conductors twisted together, usually forming two circuits.

[abbreviation of quadruplex, a telegraphic device invented by Thomas Edison, by means of which four messages could be sent simultaneously over one wire.]

7 a radio antenna in the form of a square or rectangle broken in the middle of one side.

[abbreviation of quadrilateral.]

8 informal a traditional roller skate.

9 Printing a small metal block in various sizes, lower than type height, used in letterpress printing for filling up short lines.

[abbreviation of the late 17th-century printing term quadrat.]

▸ adjective [attributive] informal quadruple or quadraphonic.