square
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: skwâr
ipa: /skwɛə/
ipa: /skwɛː/
ipa: /skweɹ/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
enpr: skwûr
ipa: /skwɜː(ɹ)/
note: Lancashire, fair–fur merger
ipa: /skwɛɹ/
ipa: [skwɛ˞]
ipa: /skwɛəɹ/
ipa: /skweː/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
enpr: skwîr
ipa: /skwiə̯/
note: New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
note: without the cheer–chair merger
ipa: /skweə̯/
note: Indic
ipa: /skweːɾ/
note: non-rhotic
ipa: /-æː/
ipa: /skwaja(ɾ)/
ipa: /sk(w)oja(ɾ)/
Forms: form: squares
form: squaring
form: squared
form: squared
Etymology: From Middle English square, sqware, squyre; from Old French esquarre, esquerre, (modern French équerre), from Vulgar Latin *exquadra, from Latin ex- + quadro, from quadrus (compare English quad and quadra). Doublet of squad and squadra.
Displaced Old English fēowerecge (fēower nominative + ecg accusative, as in "four-edged").
Senses: examples: text: The casting was mounted on a milling machine so that its sides could be squared.
glosses: To adjust so as to align with or place at a right angle to something else; in particular
examples: text: to square the yards
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: To adjust so as to align with or place at a right angle to something else; in particular:
To place at a right angle to the mast or keel.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
rowing
sports
glosses: To adjust so as to align with or place at a right angle to something else; in particular:
To rotate the oars so that they are perpendicular to the water.
examples: text: John can square this question up for us.
text: These results just don't square with what we expected.
text: […] the process theist may not regard the killing of non-human animals for food or other reasons as generally acceptable. Call the process thinker who regards the killing of non-human animals for food as (usually) morally wrong a zoophile. Even if the zoophile regards human beings as more capable of experience and insight than another animals, and as therefore more valuable than other animals, she may regard non-human animals as moral patients. She may well not regard predatory animals as full moral agents; she will then have no reason to see their killing of other animals for food as itself morally wrong, because predators are not themselves subject to moral assessments. But she may still find it difficult to square God's encouragement of predation with an attractive account of divine goodness.
ref: 2006, Gary Chartier, “Non-Human Animals and Process Theodicy”, in Religious Studies, volume 41, number 1, page 10:
glosses: To resolve or reconcile; to suit or fit.
examples: text: I cannot square the results of the experiment with my hypothesis.
text: to square our actions by the opinions of others
text: Square my trial
 To my proportioned strength.
ref: 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC:
english: Comus
translation: Comus
glosses: To adjust or adapt so as to bring into harmony with something.
topics: mathematics
sciences
glosses: Of a value, term, or expression, to multiply by itself; to raise to the second power.
examples: text: square the circle
topics: geometry
mathematics
sciences
glosses: To draw, with a pair of compasses and a straightedge only, a square with the same area as.
topics: geometry
mathematics
sciences
glosses: To tile (completely fill) with squares.
examples: text: First, former Toffee Mikel Arteta sent Walcott racing clear but instead of shooting he squared towards Ramsey, who was foiled by Tony Hibbert.
ref: 2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton”, in BBC Sport:
topics: ball-games
games
hobbies
lifestyle
soccer
sports
glosses: To make a short low pass sideways across the pitch
glosses: To take opposing sides; to quarrel.
examples: text: No works shall find acceptance […] that square not truly with the Scripture plan.
ref: 1782, William Cowper, Charity:
glosses: To accord or agree exactly; to be consistent with; to suit; to fit.
examples: text: Are you such fools / To square for this?
ref: c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
glosses: To go to opposite sides; to take an attitude of offense or defense, or of defiance; to quarrel.
examples: text: There we stood, well squared up before it, shoulder to shoulder, and foot to foot, with our hands behind us, not budging an inch.
ref: 1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, Great Expectations […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC:
glosses: To take a boxing attitude; often with up or off.
examples: text: A stately pallace built of squared bricke,
Which cunningly was without morter laid
ref: 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
glosses: To form with four sides and four right angles.
examples: text: to square mason's work
text: Everything on his writing desk was squared off: blotter, paper knife, pen rack.
ref: 2002, William Boyd, Any Human Heart:
glosses: To form with right angles and straight lines, or flat surfaces.
examples: text: to square the general sex By Cressid's rule
ref: c. 1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
glosses: To compare with, or reduce to, any given measure or standard.
examples: text: the icy Goat, the Crab that square the Scales
ref: 1697, Thomas Creech, The five books of M. Manilius containing a system of the ancient astronomy and astrology, done into English verse:
topics: astrology
human-sciences
mysticism
philosophy
sciences
glosses: To hold a quartile position respecting.
Derived terms: square around
square away
square off
square one's shoulders
square the circle
square up
square with
²
Related terms: cubic
quadrilateral
rectangle
rhombus