/ ˈkwəʊtə; NAmE ˈkwoʊtə/ noun
1.
[ C ] the limited number or amount of people or things that is officially allowed :
to introduce a strict import quota on grain
a quota system for accepting refugees
2.
[ C ] an amount of sth that sb expects or needs to have or achieve :
I'm going home now—I've done my quota of work for the day.
3.
[ sing. ] ( politics ) a fixed number of votes that a candidate needs in order to be elected :
He was 76 votes short of the quota.
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent.: from medieval Latin quota (pars) how great (a part), feminine of quotus , from quot how many.