quad
quad — noun
1. a baby born from a pregnancy that produces four children at once.
a baby born from a pregnancy that produces four children at once.
Local news reporters did a story about the quads born at the city hospital.
collocation: born at the same time / quads
Mayumi's aunt gave birth to quads last spring, and the whole family shares childcare.
Raising quads costs a lot, so the family set up a fund for donations.
The nurses at the hospital took special care of the quads during their first week.
David and his wife were shocked when the doctor told them they were expecting quads.
- quadruplet
the full, more formal term; 'quad' is the shortened form
文法句型
quad + verb (plural agreement common)
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural form quads. The full form quadruplet is more formal.
常見錯誤
2. a square open area with buildings around it, typically found at a school or univ
a square open area with buildings around it, typically found at a school or university.
Students gathered on the quad to study and enjoy the warm afternoon sun.
preposition: on the quad
The old college quad has a fountain in the middle and benches around it.
Xiu took a shortcut across the quad on her way to the chemistry building.
Every spring the university holds the graduation ceremony on the main quad.
The library sits on the north side of the quad, near the main entrance.
- courtyard
a more general term for any open area surrounded by walls or buildings
- quadrangle
the full, more formal word; rarely used in casual speech
文法句型
the + quad
on the + quad
across the + quad
用法筆記
Common in British and American university contexts. The full form quadrangle is very formal and rarely used in everyday speech.
常見錯誤
3. the big muscle covering the thigh area, responsible for straightening the knee j
the big muscle covering the thigh area, responsible for straightening the knee joint.
After running up the stairs, Élise could feel her quads burning.
collocation: quads + burn (sensation after exercise)
Strong quads help cyclists push the pedals with more power on steep hills.
The physiotherapist showed Mert some stretches to loosen his tight quads.
Squats are one of the best exercises for building strong quads.
Yasmin injured her left quad during a football match and rested for two weeks.
- quadriceps
the full formal anatomical term
- thigh muscle
a more general term; the quad is just one of several thigh muscles
文法句型
quads + verb
quads + ache / burn / feel tight
用法筆記
The short form quads is far more common in casual and sports contexts than the full term quadriceps. The singular a quad refers to one of the four muscles in the group, or informally to the whole muscle group on one leg.
常見錯誤
quad — verb
1. to add spacing material to a row of printed characters so that it reaches the fu
to add spacing material to a row of printed characters so that it reaches the full column width.
The old typesetter quadded each line so the newspaper columns looked even.
past tense: quadded
Before computers, printers had to quad short lines by hand using small metal spacers.
technical register: printers, metal spacers
Noa learned to quad a line of type in her first week at the shop.
When formatting the newspaper page, the operator quadded the narrow columns carefully.
文法句型
quad + noun phrase (line / text / column)
用法筆記
Very specialised term from traditional printing. Modern digital typesetting software does this automatically, so the verb is almost only encountered in historical or technical discussions of printing.
quad — adjective
1. containing four separate parts or units; equal to four times the usual amount or
containing four separate parts or units; equal to four times the usual amount or size.
The company announced a quad increase in sales over the past financial year.
collocation: quad increase
Vinícius ordered a quad espresso to stay awake through the long night shift.
The recipe makes a quad batch, so you will have plenty of soup to freeze.
After a quad bypass surgery, Diya's father stayed in the hospital for a week.
The hotel gave the family a quad room with two double beds and a sofa.
文法句型
quad + noun
用法筆記
Used mainly in fixed compounds (quad room, quad espresso, quad bypass, quad increase). It is less common than the synonym quadruple in general writing.
常見錯誤
❌ 'I bought a quad ticket for the concert.' (acceptable but 'quadruple' or 'four-pack' is clearer) — quad as an adjective is limited to certain fixed phrases; for general use, quadruple is preferred.
2. relating to an audio system that uses four separate channels to produce sound fr
relating to an audio system that uses four separate channels to produce sound from different directions.
In the 1970s, some music albums were released in quadraphonic sound.
collocation: quadraphonic sound
Meera's father still owns a quadraphonic turntable and a collection of vinyl records.
The audio museum had a working quadraphonic system with four large speakers.
Although quadraphonic technology never became mainstream, it paved the way for modern surround sound.
- quadraphonic
the full form of the adjective; more precise in technical writing
文法句型
quadraphonic + noun
用法筆記
Quadraphonic is the full form; quad is used as a shortened prefix in compounds (quad sound, quad system). The technology was mainly marketed in the 1970s and was eventually replaced by digital surround sound formats.