Word: square Part of Speech: noun 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"). Pronunciation: /skwɛə/, /skwɛː/, /skweɹ/, /skwɜː(ɹ)/, /skwɛɹ/ 1. A polygon with four straight sides of equal length and four right angles; an equilateral rectangle; a regular quadrilateral. Example: 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. Something characterized by a square, or nearly square, form. Example: You may not move a piece to a square already occupied by one of your own pieces. 3. Something characterized by a square, or nearly square, form. Example: a square of glass 4. Something characterized by a square, or nearly square, form. 5. Something characterized by a square, or nearly square, form. Labels: Canada, US 6. Something characterized by a square, or nearly square, form. 7. An L- or T-shaped tool used to place objects or draw lines at right angles. Example: There are so many uses for the square, in fact, that a new model will usually come complete with a booklet enumerating its applications. 8. An L- or T-shaped tool used to place objects or draw lines at right angles. Labels: figuratively, obsolete 9. An open space or park, often in the center of a town, not necessarily square in shape, often containing trees, seating and other features pleasing to the eye. Example: The statue of Alexander the Seventh stands in the large square of the town. Example: You're not in Wisconsin, Dave. The big story isn't about a cow wandering into the town square. 10. An open space or park, often in the center of a town, not necessarily square in shape, often containing trees, seating and other features pleasing to the eye. Labels: often 11. The product of a number or quantity multiplied by itself; the second power of a number, value, term or expression. Example: 64 is the square of 8. 12. A pattern to be matched that consists of a subpattern repeated, such as "papa" or "wikiwiki". Example: Squares cannot be easily matched by regular expressions. 13. A body of troops drawn up in a square formation. Example: he alone Dealt on lieutenantry, and no practice had In the brave squares of war Example: 1818, quoted in Christopher Kelly, History of the French Revolution and of the Wars produced by that Memorable Event The French cavalry, in proof armour, repeatedly charged our squares, their cannon opening chasms; but the British infantry, though greatly diminished, were inflexible and impenetrable to the last. 14. A socially conventional or conservative person; a person who has little or no interest in the latest fads or trends. Labels: dated Example: Why do you always wear a tie? Don't be such a square! Example: Good looks are important, but good looks don't hold if he's a square. 15. The symbol # on a telephone; hash. Labels: UK Example: Enter your account number followed by a square. 16. The central area of a cricket field, with one or more pitches of which only one is used at a time. Example: 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. 17. 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. Example: 2006, Macquarie Bank (Australia), press release Macquarie releases Real Estate Market Outlook 2006 - "The World Squared", 21 June 2006 http://www.macquarie.com.au/au/about_macquarie/media_centre/20060621.htm Just as the basic unit of real estate measurement across the world is the square Example: 2007, Your Estate advertisement for Grindelwald Tasmania http://www.yourestate.com.au/property_12753.php 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. 18. A unit used in measuring roof area equivalent to 100 square feet (9.29 m²) of roof area. The materials for roofing jobs are often billed by the square in the United States. 19. A mortarboard. 20. Ellipsis of square meal. Labels: US, abbreviation, alt-of, colloquial, ellipsis Example: Even when times were tough, we got three squares a day. 21. Exact proportion; justness of workmanship and conduct; regularity; rule. Labels: archaic Example: 1594-1597, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie They of Galatia [were] much more out of square. Example: I have not kept my square. 22. The relation of harmony, or exact agreement; equality; level. Example: We live not on the square with such as these. 23. The position of planets distant ninety degrees from each other; a quadrate. 24. The act of squaring, or quarrelling; a quarrel. Labels: dated 25. Cigarette. Labels: slang 26. A vat used for fermentation. 27. A well-defined torso. Labels: Multicultural-London-English, slang Example: She wanna talk about feelings But I don't believe in love Just give me your square Example: I don’t really care about them man there Tell the bad b “just swing your square”