quartermaster (n.)

also quarter-master, early 15c., "subordinate officer of a ship," from French quartier-maître or directly from Dutch kwartier-meester; originally a ship's officer whose duties included stowing of the hold; later (c. 1600) an officer in charge of quarters and rations for troops. See quarters.

Entries linking to quartermaster

quarters (n.)

"military dwelling place," 1590s, from quarter (n.1) in sense of "portion of a town." As "part of an American plantation where the slaves live," from 1724. The military sense seems to be also the source of quartermaster and it might be behind the phrase give quarter "spare from immediate death" (1610s, often in the negative), on the notion of "provide a prisoner with shelter;" see quarter (n.2).

*kwetwer-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "four."

It forms all or part of: cadre; cahier; carillon; carrefour; catty-cornered; diatessaron; escadrille; farthing; firkin; fortnight; forty; four; fourteen; fourth; quadrant; quadraphonic; quadratic; quadri-; quadrilateral; quadriliteral; quadrille; quadriplegia; quadrivium; quadroon; quadru-; quadruped; quadruple; quadruplicate; quarantine; quarrel (n.2) "square-headed bolt for a crossbow;" quarry (n.2) "open place where rocks are excavated;" quart; quarter; quarterback; quartermaster; quarters; quartet; quarto; quaternary; quatrain; quattrocento; quire (n.1) "set of four folded pages for a book;" squad; square; tessellated; tetra-; tetracycline; tetrad; tetragrammaton; tetrameter; tetrarch; trapezium.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit catvarah, Avestan čathwaro, Persian čatvar, Greek tessares, Latin quattuor, Oscan petora, Old Church Slavonic četyre, Lithuanian keturi, Old Irish cethir, Welsh pedwar.

Share quartermaster

‘cite’

Page URL:

https://www.etymonline.com/word/quartermaster

HTML Link:

<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/quartermaster">Etymology of quartermaster by etymonline</a>

APA style:

Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of quartermaster. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/quartermaster

Chicago style:

Harper Douglas, “Etymology of quartermaster,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/quartermaster.

MLA style:

Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of quartermaster.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/quartermaster. Accessed $(datetimeMla).

IEEE style:

D. Harper. “Etymology of quartermaster.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/quartermaster (accessed $(datetime)).

Definitions of quartermaster

quartermaster (n.)

an army officer who provides clothing and subsistence for troops;

From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near quartermaster

quarter

quarter day

quarterback

quarter-deck

quarterly

quartermaster

quarters

quarterstaff

quartet

quartile

quarto