QUARTER

(FOURTH PART) [noun] [C] - one of four equal or almost equal parts of something; ¼About a quarter of the British own their home outright, while another 45 per cent have a mortgage.My house is situated one and three-quarter miles/a mile and three-quarters from here.The book focuses on events from the last quarter of a century.A quarter of an hour is 15 minutes.I waited a quarter of an hour and then went home.A quarter to/(US also) of the hour means 15 minutes before the stated hour.It's a quarter to three.A quarter past/(US also) after the hour means 15 minutes after the stated hour.I'll meet you at a quarter past five.A quarter of a year is a period of three months.There was a fall in unemployment in the second quarter of the year.The electricity bill is sent each quarter.A quarter is also one of four periods in a game of American football and other ball sports.At the end of the first quarter the Giants led the Packers 21 to 3.Quarter note is US for crotchet.