quadrangle

noun — 3 senses

quadrangle

noun

UK /ˈkwɒd.ɹæŋ.ɡəl/ · US /ˈkwɔd.ɹæŋ.ɡəl/

Etymology Inherited from Middle English quadrangle, borrowed from Old French quadrangle, from Late Latin quadrangulum.

1

Geometry, Mathematics, Sciences A geometric shape with four angles and four straight sides; a four-sided polygon.

2

A courtyard which is quadrangular.

  • I looked up from my desk and saw that suddenly there were big flakes twirling down into the quadrangle, settling on the carefully pruned shrubbery bordering the crosswalks, the three elms still holding many of their leaves, the still-green lawns.1959, John Knowles, chapter 7, in A Separate Peace:
3

The buildings forming the border of such a courtyard.

  • The quadrangle surrounding the Far Common was never considered absolutely essential to the Devon School.1959, John Knowles, chapter 13, in A Separate Peace:
Derived terms
love quadrangle

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.