| / English Dictionary |
QUATERNARY
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
Synonyms:
4; four; foursome; IV; Little Joe; quadruplet; quartet; quatern; quaternary; quaternion; quaternity; tetrad
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("quaternary" is a kind of...):
digit; figure (one of the elements that collectively form a system of numeration)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Last 2 million years
Synonyms:
Age of Man; Quaternary; Quaternary period
Classified under:
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations
Instance hypernyms:
geological period; period (a unit of geological time during which a system of rocks formed)
Meronyms (parts of "Quaternary"):
Holocene; Holocene epoch; Recent; Recent epoch (approximately the last 10,000 years)
Glacial epoch; Pleistocene; Pleistocene epoch (from two million to 11 thousand years ago; extensive glaciation of the northern hemisphere; the time of human evolution)
Holonyms ("Quaternary" is a part of...):
Age of Mammals; Cenozoic; Cenozoic era (approximately the last 63 million years)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Coming next after the third and just before the fifth in position or time or degree or magnitude
Example:
the quaternary period of geologic time extends from the end of the tertiary period to the present
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Similar:
ordinal (being or denoting a numerical order in a series)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Consisting of or especially arranged in sets of four
Example:
a quaternary compound
Synonyms:
quaternary; quaternate
Classified under:
Similar:
multiple (having or involving or consisting of more than one part or entity or individual)
Context examples:
An epoch of the Quaternary period dating from the end of the Pleistocene approximately 11,000 years ago until the present.
(Holocene epoch, NOAA Paleoclimate Glossary)
Quaternary ammonium compounds were introduced in the 1950s and 1960s before the standardization of toxicity studies.
(Common Household Chemicals Lead to Birth Defects in Mice, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
A quaternary ammonium compound that serves as a long-acting cholinesterase inhibitor with parasympathomimetic activity.
(Demecarium, NCI Thesaurus)
The tosylate salt form of bretylium, a quaternary ammonium salt and non-selective adrenergic neuronal blocking agent with anti-arrhythmic properties.
(Bretylium Tosylate, NCI Thesaurus)
A combination formulation containing the hydrochloride salt form of the benzodiazepine chlordiazepoxide and the bromide salt form of the quaternary ammonium antimuscarinic clidinium with anxiolytic, sedative and antispasmodic activities.
(Chlordiazepoxide Hydrochloride/Clidinium Bromide, NCI Thesaurus)
The chloride salt form of ambenonium, a quaternary ammonium compound with parasympathomimetic activity.
(Ambenonium Chloride, NCI Thesaurus)
A synthetic choline ester and a positively charged quaternary ammonium compound.
(Carbachol, NCI Thesaurus)
The technology mixes chitosan —a natural polymer extracted from the shell of crustaceans such as shrimp, lobsters, and crabs— with quaternary ammonium salts, chemical compounds that have antimicrobial properties and are commonly used in controlled concentrations in food industries and as domestic sanitisers.
(Protective bio-shell could extend egg shelf life, SciDev.Net)
Known as quaternary ammonium compounds or quats, the chemicals are often used as disinfectants and preservatives in household and personal products such as cleaners, laundry detergent, fabric softener, shampoo and conditioner, and eye drops.
(Common Household Chemicals Lead to Birth Defects in Mice, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
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