From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Quaternary \Qua*ter"na*ry\, n. [L. numerus quaternarius: cf. F.
quaternaire.]
1. The number four. --Boyle.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Geol.) The Quaternary age, era, or formation. See the
Chart of {Geology}.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Quaternary \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}.]
[1913 Webster]
1. Consisting of four; by fours, or in sets of four.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Geol.) Later than, or subsequent to, the Tertiary;
Post-tertiary; as, the Quaternary age, or Age of man.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
quaternary
adj 1: consisting of or especially arranged in sets of four;
"quaternate leaves"; "a quaternary compound" [syn:
{quaternate}, {quaternary}]
2: coming next after the third and just before the fifth in
position or time or degree or magnitude; "the quaternary
period of geologic time extends from the end of the tertiary
period to the present" [syn: {fourth}, {4th}, {quaternary}]
n 1: last 2 million years [syn: {Quaternary}, {Quaternary
period}, {Age of Man}]
2: the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one [syn:
{four}, {4}, {IV}, {tetrad}, {quatern}, {quaternion},
{quaternary}, {quaternity}, {quartet}, {quadruplet},
{foursome}, {Little Joe}]
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