Word: quarantine Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Medieval Latin quarentena and quarentīna (“40-day period, Lent”) via Middle English quarentine, Norman quarenteine, French quarenteine, and Italian quarantina, via proposed Late Latin *quaranta + -ēna (forming distributive adjectives), from Latin quadrāgintā (“four tens, 40”). In reference to French politics, calque of French quarantaine after edicts of Louis IX. In reference to a severance of political relations, popularized by the Roosevelt administration's 1937 approach to the Axis powers and the later Kennedy administration's 1962 approach to Cuba during the missile crisis. Pronunciation: /ˈkwɔɹ.ən.tin/, /ˈkɔɹ.ən.tin/, /ˈkwɑɹ.ən.tin/, /ˈkwɒɹ.ən.tiːn/, /ˈkwɒrn̩tiːn/ 1. A period of 40 days, particularly Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Now the Question seems to lye thus, where lay the Seeds of the Infection all this while? How came it to stop so long, and not stop any longer? Either the Distemper did not come immediately by Contagion from Body to Body, or if it did, then a Body may be capable to continue infected, without the Disease discovering itself, many Days, nay Weeks together, even not a Quarantine of Days only, but Soixantine, not only 40 Days but 60 Days or longer. 2. A period of 40 days, particularly Labels: countable, historical, uncountable Example: Querentyne is where a man dyeth seisyd of a maner place and other landis where of the wyfe ought to be indowed, than the woman shall hold the maner place by .xl. days within which tyme her dower shalbe to her assyned. 3. A period of 40 days, particularly Labels: countable, historical, uncountable 4. A period of 40 days, particularly Labels: countable, historical, uncountable Example: Quarantain of the King, is a Truce of forty Days appointed by S. Louis; during which it was expressly forbid to take any Revenge of the Relation or Friends of People. Example: Forty days, called the King's quarantain, were allowed the friends or relations of a principal in a private war to grant or find security. 5. A period, instance, or state of isolation from the general public or from native livestock and flora enacted to prevent the spread of any contagious disease. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The tourists were put in quarantine to ensure none of them would be able to spread the plague. Example: From Toulon... Our Gallyes which were upon the point of finishing their Quarantaine, and entering into this Port, have been hindred from it by th'arrival of three others that were out a roaming. 6. A similar period, instance, or state of rigidly enforced or self-enforced detention or isolation. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: Now treating Sandwich seems the fittest choice For Spain, there to condole and to rejoyce: He meets the French, but to avoid all harms, Slips into Groine, Embassies bears no Arms. There let him languish a long Quarrentine, And ne're to England come, till he be clean. Example: What I wish to put under Quarantine are family events—& all allusion thereto past—present—or to come. 7. A place where such isolation is enforced, a lazaret. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: They bring wood, millet, rye, barley, and a little wheat to the quarantine to barter with the Cossaks for salt. 8. A blockade of trade, suspension of diplomatic relations, or other action whereby one country seeks to isolate another. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: When a great power establishes diplomatic quarantine against them it is well not to go too far on a course on which they appear to be embarking with a light heart. Example: President Roosevelt today challenged the effectiveness of a policy of neutrality in keeping the United States at peace and advocated instead a collective ‘quarantine’ of aggressor nations. 9. An isolation of one program, drive, computer, etc. from the rest of a computer network to limit the damage from a bug, computer virus, etc. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: Also included is Canary, a ‘quarantine’ program for use as a sample to test for a virus by pairing it with new or suspect programs. Example: At least one expert says... that a quarantine can be futile if the software is infected with a time-activated virus. 10. The program, drive, computer, etc. thus isolated. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: If they click on the link then they're added to your approved senders list and their message is moved to your inbox; if they don't, the message stays in quarantine.