qanat                         underground tunnel for carrying irrigation water

qasida                        Arabic or Persian elegiac poem

qat                           leaves chewed or brewed in tea as a stimulant

qigong                        system of Chinese meditational exercises

qintar                        Albanian unit of currency

qiviut                        the soft undercoat on a musk ox, often used in making coats

qoph                          a Hebrew letter

qua                           in the capacity of

quab                          something unfinished or immature; unfledged bird; to throb; to quiver

quackle                       to choke; to suffocate

quacksalver                   a charlatan or quack; one who falsely pretends to knowledge of medicine

quad                          unit of energy equal to one quadrillion British thermal units

quaddle                       to grumble; a grumbler

quadra                        square frame; plinth

quadrable                     capable of being expressed in a finite number of algebraic terms

quadragenarian                a person between 40 and 49 years of age

quadragesimal                 consisting of 40; specifically, in regard to a 40-day fast occurring during Lent

quadragesimarian              one who observes Lent

quadragintesimal              forty-fold; having forty parts

quadral                       in four parts

quadraphonic                  produced by a sound system that employs four signal sources

quadrat                       small square block used as a space in printing

quadrate                      to make square; to make to agree

quadratrix                    a curve by which a circle may be squared

quadratura                    wall or ceiling painted with arches and columns in strong perspective

quadrel                       a square stone, tile, block or brick

quadrennial                   lasting four years; occurring once every four years

quadrennium                   period of four years

quadrifid                     to be cut into four pieces

quadrifoliate                 having four leaves

quadriga                      two-wheeled carriage drawn by four horses

quadrigamist                  someone who either has been married four times or who is married to four people

quadrigeminal                 in four similar or equal parts

quadrigenarious               comprising four hundred

quadriliteral                 pertaining to a word which has four letters

quadrille                     square dance for four couples; card game for four people

quadrilocular                 having four compartments

quadrimium                    four-year-old wine; best or oldest wine

quadripole                    device having one pair of output terminals and one pair of input terminals

quadrireme                    ancient ship with four sets of oars

quadrivial                    leading in four directions; concerning a four-way junction

quadrivium                    the higher division of the seven liberal arts in the Middle Ages, comprising geometry, astronomy, arithmetic, and music (compare trivium)

quadrivoltine                 having four litters in a single year

quadroon                      old term for a person of one-quarter black ancestry

quadrumane                    a four handed animal, such as a monkey or ape

quadrumanous                  of the primates other than man

quadrupedation                stamping with four feet

quaedam                       disparaging term for a woman

quaere                        to introduce a question or issue

quaeritur                     the question is asked

quaesitum                     that which is sought for; an object of search; the answer to a problem

quaestionary                  religious pardoner

quaestor                      ancient magistrate; a medieval pardoner

quaestuary                    money-making; money-seeking; in business only for profit

quagga                        extinct African wild ass like the zebra

quaggy                        resembling a marsh; soggy; soft and flabby

quagma                        hypothetical matter made up of quarks and gluons

quagswag                      to shake back and forth

quahog                        a thick-shelled edible clam of the U.S.

quain                         angle; wedge-like corner

quaintrelle                   a well-dressed woman

quakebuttock                  a coward

quale                         a property considered independently from things having the property

qualificator                  one who prepares ecclesiastical cases for trial

qualimeter                    apparatus for measuring penetrating power of X-ray beams

qually                        of wine, cloudy or turbid

qualtagh                      first person encountered after leaving home on a special day

quamoclit                     tropical climbing plant with brilliant flowers

quango                        a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization

quangocracy                   rule of quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations

quannet                       flat file used like a plane

quant                         punting or jumping pole with a flat end

quantile                      any of a set of equal fractions of a given population

quantimeter                   apparatus for measuring quantity of X-rays

quantivalence                 chemical valence; ability of atoms to hold other atoms in combination

quantometer                   instrument for measuring proportions of elements in metallic samples

quantophrenia                 obsessive reliance on statistics and mathematical results

quantulate                    to calculate the magnitude of

quantulum                     a small quantity

quantuplicity                 relative magnitude of a quantity

quaquadrate                   a sixteenth power

quaquaversal                  facing or bending all ways; turning or dipping in any or all directions

quarender                     dark red apple

quaresimal                    Lenten; having the meagreness of Lenten meals

quarion                       candle

quark                         soft cheese made from skim milk

quarkonium                    meson formed of a quark and an anti-quark

quarl                         large curved brick or tile used to support melting pot

quarred                       soured; clotted

quarrelet                     small square

quarrenden                    variety of apple

quarrion                      Australian parrot like the cockatiel

quartan                       something which occurs every four days

quartation                    mixing one part gold with three parts silver prior to purifying it

quarter                       unit of weight equal to 28 pounds

quarterdeck                   part of ship's deck set aside by captain for ceremonial functions

quartering                    sailing nearly before the wind

quarterland                   ancient land division on the Isle of Man

quarterlight                  small triangular ventilation window in a car

quartern                      one quarter of various measures

quartic                       a curve or equation of the fourth degree

quartinvariant                an invariant of the fourth degree

quartodeciman                 early Christian who celebrated Easter on Passover even if not a Sunday

quartziferous                 bearing quartz

quasi                         as if; seemingly; in a manner

quasihemidemisemiquaver       according to British musical notation, a 128th note

quasquicentennial             one hundred twenty-fifth anniversary

quassation                    act of shaking or being shaken

quassia                       tropical tree whose bark is used to make a bitter medicinal product

quat                          a pimple; an insignificant person

quatch                        a word; a sound

quatenus                      in the capacity of; in so far as

quatern                       arranged in fours

quaternion                    any set of four things; quotient of two vectors expressed quadrinomially

quaternitarian                one who believes that God consists of four parts

quaternity                    fourness; any group of four things

quatervois                    crossroads

quatint                       engraving using nitric acid

quatopygia                    the shaking of the buttocks when walking

quatorzain                    piece of verse having fourteen lines; a sonnet

quatrain                      stanza of four lines of verse

quatrayle                     one's great great great grandfather

quatrefoil                    four-petalled flower; design or ornament with four flowers or leaves

quatridual                    lasting for four days

quattrocentism                style of art of the fifteenth century in Italy

quattrocento                  the fifteenth century; Italian art and architecture of that period

quatuorvirate                 a body of four men

quaver                        a 1/8 note in music

quaviver                      fish otherwise known as the sea-dragon or dragonet

quawk                         black-crowned night heron

queach                        a thicket

quean                         lewd woman; hussy; woman of bad character; whore; prostitute

queem                         protected from the wind

queenite                      a queen's partisan

queenright                    of a colony of social insects, having a queen

quelch                        to squelch

quelea                        an African weaver-bird

quellio                       a Spanish ruff

quena                         vertical bamboo flute used in the Andes

quenelle                      poached meat dumpling

quenouille                    concerning the training of trees into cone-like shape

quercetum                     plantation of oak trees

quercine                      of, like or pertaining to oak trees

quercitron                    yellowish pigment derived from bark of a variety of oak

querencia                     part of a bullfighting arena where the bull makes his stand

querent                       a questioner; specifically, one who seeks the advice of astrologers

querent                       one who asks a question

querical                      of the nature of queries

querida                       a sweetheart, darling

querimonious                  complaining, querulous, apt to complain

querimony                     complaint

querist                       inquirer

querken                       to stifle; to suffocate

querl                         to twist; to curl

quern                         stone mill worked by hand

querquedule                   pin-tail duck; a teal

quersprung                    in skiing, a jump-turn at right angles

querulist                     one who complains

querulous                     complaining; peevish

quesited                      sought for; asked about

questmonger                   one whose occupation is to conduct inquests

questuary                     one who seeks for gain; concerned with gain; money-making

quetsch                       dark-skinned oval plum; liqueur made from such plums

quetzal                       gold and green bird with long tail feathers

quevée                        in heraldry, having a tail

queyock                       heifer

quibbleism                    the practice of quibbling

quich                         to stir; to move

quicken                       mountain ash tree

quickhatch                    wolverine

quicklime                     calcium oxide

quickset                      formed of living plants arranged in place

quicksilver                   old name for mercury

quickstep                     fast march-like dance

quicquidlibet                 whatever one pleases; anything whatsoever

quid                          a cut or wad or something chewable

quidam                        a certain person; somebody

quiddany                      jelly or thick syrup made from sweetened quince juice

quidditative                  quirky; eccentric

quiddity                      the essence of a thing or person; a trifling point; quibble

quiddle                       a fastidious person

quiddler                      a person who hangs around wasting time at work and making conversation with people who are working; dawdler, trifler

quiddling                     dawdling

quidnunc                      a person who always wants to know what is going on; one keenly interested in gossip; busybody

quidnunckery                  curiosity, love of news or gossip (also quidnuncism)

quidsworth                    able to be bought for one pound

quietation                    the action of quieting a person or persons

quietism                      doctrine of enlightenment through mental tranquility

quietus                       discharge from life; extinction; death; silencing

quiff                         tuft of hair brushed away from the forehead; oiled lock of hair; puff or gust of wind

quillaia                      South American tree whose bark is used to make soap

quillet                       subtle point in argument; a quibble

quilling                      strip or ribbon gathered into flutings

quillon                       arm of the cross-guard of a sword handle

quinary                       based on the number five

quince                        orange-coloured, pear-shaped fruit

quincunx                      a set of five objects arranged with one at each corner of a square, and the fifth in the center

quincurion                    leader of five men

quindecagon                   plane figure having fifteen sides

quindecasyllabic              having fifteen syllables

quingentenary                 five-hundredth anniversary

quiniferous                   yielding quinine

quinimetry                    measurement of amount of quinine in bark

quinism                       pathological state resulting from excessive use of quinine

quinnat                       the king salmon; a wedge

quinology                     study of quinine

quinquagenarian               person between the ages of 50 and 59

quinquagesimal                belonging to a set of fifty; consisting of fifty days

quinquefarious                arranged in five rows

quinquennium                  period of five years

quinquepartite                having five parts

quinquiplicate                to multiply by five

quinsy                        old disease like tonsilitis

quintain                      post for tilting with turning cross-piece

quintal                       unit of weight equal to 100 kilograms

quinternion                   set of five sheets of paper

quintessence                  the most essential part or embodiment of something

quintic                       of the fifth order or degree

quinton                       five-stringed tenor viol

quintroon                     old term for someone who is of 1/16 black descent

quipu                         knotted cords used as Inca mnemonic device

quire                         twenty-four sheets of paper of the same size and quality

quirister                     a chorister

quiritary                     in accordance with Roman civil law

quiritian                     a Roman citizen

quirt                         short-handled riding whip

quisby                        an idler; suspicious or odd

quisling                      one who aids the enemy; a puppet leader supported by foreign power

quisquilian                   consisting of trash and rubbish

quisquiliary                  waste matter, refuse, rubbish

quisquilious                  made of rubbish; like rubbish; trashy, worthless

quisquilious                  of the nature of rubbish or refuse; trashy, worthless

quisquos                      perplexing

quitch                        a kind of wild grass

quitclaim                     deed relinquishing a claim, such as a mining title

quiteron                      superconducting device similar to a transistor

quitrent                      small nominal rent paid to commute feudal service

quittance                     release from a debt or obligation; a document expressing such a release

quitter                       pus; suppurating discharge

quixotic                      extravagantly and romantically chivalrous; idealistic

quixotry                      visionary schemes; quixotic behavior

quoad                         with respect to; as regards

quod                          prison

quoddamodotative              existing in a certain manner

quodlibertarian               a pedantic person who engages in elaborate arguments about minor things

quodlibet                     1. a philosophical or theological point proposed for disputation

quodlibet                     2. a whimsical combination of familiar melodies or texts

quodlibetificate              to quibble with

quoin                         a wedge; salient angle of a building; cornerstone

quoit                         heavy flat ring thrown over pin in a game like horseshoes

quokka                        short-tailed wallaby

quoll                         native cat-like marsupial of Australia

quomodocunquize               to make money by any means possible

quondam                       former; sometime; formerly

quonking                      imitative  noise (as from conversation) that disturbs or disrupts a television or radio program due to proximity to the microphones or cameras

quorate                       attended by a quorum; hence inquorate, not attended by a quorum

quotatious                    tending to quote; given to quoting

quotennial                    yearly

quotha                        used to express surprise or sarcasm, after quoting the word or phrase used by someone else

quotidian                     everyday; commonplace; occuring every day

quotiety                      number; numerical relationship

quotinoctian                  occurring every night, nightly

quotition                     a division regarded as a repeated subtraction

quotum                        a number considered in its proportion to a larger number

quotuple                      what multiple

quoz                          absurd person or thing; queer