square

From Middle English square, sqware, squyre; from Old French esquarre, esquerre, (modern French équerre), from Vulgar Latin *exquadra, from Latin ex- +‎ quadro, from quadrus.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /skwɛə(ɹ)/, /skwɛː(ɹ)/, enPR: skwâr
• (US) IPA^(key): /skwɛɚ/, enPR: skwâr

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)

square (plural squares)

1. (geometry) A polygon with four sides of equal length and four right angles; an equilateral rectangle; a regular quadrilateral.
   • 1927, Kazimir Malevich, The Non-Objective World

     I took refuge in the square form and exhibited a picture which consisted of nothing more than a black square on a white field.

2. (metonymically) Something characterized by a square, or nearly square, form.
   1. A cell in a grid.

      You may not move a piece to a square already occupied by one of your own pieces.

   2. A square piece, part, or surface, such as a square of glass.
   3. The front of a woman's dress over the bosom, usually worked or embroidered.

      (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

   4. (Canada, US) A dessert cut into rectangular pieces, or a piece of such a dessert.
   5. (printing) A certain number of lines, forming a portion of a column, nearly square; used chiefly in reckoning the prices of advertisements in newspapers.
3. An L- or T-shaped tool used to place objects or draw lines at right angles.
   • 2018 January 9 (last accessed), Bob Vila, “Carpenter squares”, in Bob Vila‎:

     There are so many uses for the square, in fact, that a new model will usually come complete with a booklet enumerating its applications.

   1. (figuratively, obsolete) A true measure, standard, or pattern.
4. An open space often in the center of a town, not necessarily square in shape, often containing trees, seating and other features pleasing to the eye.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Addison

     The statue of Alexander VII. stands in the large square of the town.

   • 1995 October 10, NewsRadio, season 2 episode 3:

     You're not in Wisconsin, Dave. The big story isn't about a cow wandering into the town square.

5. (mathematics) The product of a number or quantity multiplied by itself; the second power of a number, value, term or expression.

   64 is the square of 8.

6. (military) A body of troops drawn up in a square formation.
   • (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare

     the brave squares of war

   • 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society 2010, page 144:

     After disastrous attempts to break the Russian squares, during which, Longworth recounts, ‘the best and the bravest of the warriors fell victim to their own rashness’, the Circassians likewise changed their tactics.

7. (1950s slang) A socially conventional or conservative person; a person who has little or no interest in the latest fads or trends: still sometimes used in modern terminology.
   • 1957, Elvis Presley (music), “Jailhouse Rock”:

     The sad sack was a sitting on a block of stone / Way over in the corner weepin' all alone. / The warden said, hey, buddy, don't you be no square / If you can't find a partner, use a wooden chair.

   Why do you always wear a tie? Don't be such a square!

8. (Britain) The symbol # on a telephone; hash.

   Enter your account number followed by a square.

9. (cricket) The central area of a cricket field, with one or more pitches of which only one is used at a time.

   An ideal playing area is roughly circular in shape with a central area, the cricket square, measuring 27.44 metres by 27.44 metres and boundaries 45.75 metres from the sides of the square.

10. (real estate) A unit of measurement of area, equal to a 10 foot by 10 foot square, i.e. 100 square feet or roughly 9.3 square metres. Used in real estate for the size of a house or its rooms, though progressively being replaced by square metres in metric countries such as Australia.

    2006: Just as the basic unit of real estate measurement across the world is the square ... — Macquarie Bank (Australia), press release Macquarie releases Real Estate Market Outlook 2006 - "The World Squared", 21 June 2006

    2007: The house is very large and open and boasts 39 squares of living space plus over 13 squares of decking area on 3 sides and 17 squares of garage and workshop downstairs. — Your Estate advertisement for Grindelwald Tasmania

11. (roofing) A unit used in measuring roof area equivalent to 100 square feet (9.29 m2) of roof area.
12. (academia) A mortarboard
13. (colloquial, US) A square meal.

    Even when times were tough, we got three squares a day.

14. (archaic) Exact proportion; justness of workmanship and conduct; regularity; rule.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Hooker

      They of Galatia [were] much more out of square.

    • (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare

      I have not kept my square.

15. The relation of harmony, or exact agreement; equality; level.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Dryden

      We live not on the square with such as these.

16. (astrology) The position of planets distant ninety degrees from each other; a quadrate.
17. (dated) The act of squaring, or quarrelling; a quarrel.
18. (slang) Cigarette.
19. (brewing) A vat used for fermentation.

• (polygon): (rare) tetragon
• (L-shaped tool): steel square, framing square, carpenter's square
• (open space): piazza, plaza
• (socially conventional person): see Thesaurus:mainstreamer
• (# symbol): hash, sharp, (US) pound sign

square (comparative squarer, superlative squarest)

1. Shaped like a square (the polygon).
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess‎:

     The huge square box, parquet-floored and high-ceilinged, had been arranged to display a suite of bedroom furniture designed and made in the halcyon days of the last quarter of the nineteenth century, […] .

2. Forming a right angle, especially (nautical) at right angles with the mast or the keel, and parallel to the horizon; said of the yards of a square-rigged vessel when they are so braced.

   a square corner

3. Of numbers formed by multiplying two equal numbers.

   9 is a square number.

4. Used in the names of units of area formed by multiplying a unit of length by itself.

   square metre

   square mile

5. Honest; straightforward.

   square dealing

6. Fair.

   I'm just looking for a square deal on my car repair.

7. Even; tied

   to make or leave the accounts square

   • 2000 December 16, “Islanders, Devils Make It Tough For Canadian Teams”, in Bryan Times:

     The teams were square while at even strength. have to play better than even if we want to win games." said Montreal goalie Jose Theodore

   • 2003 April 9, “Lowe Struggles Again In Sox Setback”, in Record-Journal:

     But the Jays were square again by the end of the inning, as Myers hit a 2-and-0 pitch into the left-center field seats

   • 2003 November 24, “Els's mates get better with time”, in The Age, Melbourne, Vic.:

     The sides were square to the 14th hole when Goosen took birdie,

   • 2006 September 23, Jim McCabe, “As usual, Americans trailing after first day”, in The Columbus Dispatch:

     In each of the last three afternoon foursomes, the Americans were square through 15, but could only come in with two halves and a loss.

   The sides were square at the end of the half.

8. (slang) Socially conventional; boring.
9. (cricket) In line with the batsman's popping crease.
10. Correctly aligned with respect to something else.
11. hearty; vigorous

    It may be prison, but at least I'm getting three square meals a day.

    • (Can we date this quote?) Beaumont and Fletcher

      By Heaven, square eaters. More meat, I say.

12. Having a shape broad for the height, with angular rather than curving outlines.

    a man of a square frame

• (forming a right angle): orthogonal, perpendicular, normal
• (honest, straightforward): above board, on the level, on the square, on the up and up, straight
• (socially conventional): bourgeois

• (forming a right angle): crooked

• (two-dimensional unit): linear, cubic

square (third-person singular simple present squares, present participle squaring, simple past and past participle squared)

1. (transitive) To adjust so as to align with or place at a right angle to something else; in particular:

   The casting was mounted on a milling machine so that its sides could be squared.

   1. (nautical) To place at a right angle to the keel.

      to square the yards

2. To resolve or reconcile.

   John can square this question up for us.

   These results just don't square.

3. To adjust or adapt so as to bring into harmony with something.

   I cannot square the results of the experiment with my hypothesis.

   to square our actions by the opinions of others

   • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton

     Square my trial / To my proportioned strength.

4. (transitive, mathematics) Of a value, term, or expression, to multiply by itself; to raise to the second power.
5. (transitive) To draw, with a pair of compasses and a straightedge only, a square with the same area as.

   square the circle

6. (soccer) To make a short low pass sideways across the pitch
   • 2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton”, in BBC Sport‎:

     First, former Toffee Mikel Arteta sent Walcott racing clear but instead of shooting he squared towards Ramsey, who was foiled by Tony Hibbert.

7. (archaic) To take opposing sides; to quarrel.
8. To accord or agree exactly; to be consistent with; to suit; to fit.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Cowper

     No works shall find acceptance […] that square not truly with the Scripture plan.

9. (obsolete) To go to opposite sides; to take an attitude of offense or defense, or of defiance; to quarrel.
   • (Can we date this quote?) William Shakespeare

     Are you such fools / To square for this?

10. To take a boxing attitude; often with up or off.

    (Can we find and add a quotation of Charles Dickens to this entry?)

11. To form with four sides and four right angles.

    (Can we find and add a quotation of Edmund Spenser to this entry?)

12. To form with right angles and straight lines, or flat surfaces.

    to square mason's work

13. To compare with, or reduce to, any given measure or standard.

    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

14. (astrology) To hold a quartile position respecting.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Creech

      the icy Goat and Crab that square the Scales

• (to multiply by itself) ²

• square on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• cubic
• quadrilateral
• rectangle
• rhombus

Borrowed from English square. Doublet of équerre.

• IPA^(key): /skwaʁ/

square m (plural squares)

1. small public garden in the middle of a square

   Le square de la tour Saint-Jacques.

• “square” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

• arques, raques

• sqware, squyre, squyer, sqyre, squar, sware

From Old French esquarre, esquerre (modern French équerre), from Vulgar Latin *exquadra, from Latin ex- +‎ quadro, from quadrus.

• IPA^(key): /ˈskwaːr(ə)/, /ˈskwɛːr(ə)/, /ˈskwiːr(ə)/

square (plural squares)

1. A square (tool used to ensure a right angle)
2. A square (equilateral rectangle); a square plot of land.
3. One of the edges of a square.

• English: square
• Scots: square

• “squār(e (n.)” in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-17.