名詞 quaternary:

1. last 2 million years
   同義詞：Quaternary period, Age of Man
2. the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
   同義詞：four, 4, IV, tetrad, quatern, quaternion, quaternity, quartet, quadruplet, foursome, Little Joe

形容詞 quaternary:

1. consisting of or especially arranged in sets of four
   同義詞：quaternate
2. coming next after the third and just before the fifth in position or time or degree or magnitude
   同義詞：fourth, 4th

qua.ter.nar.y

adj.（形容詞）
Consisting of four; in fours.
由四部分組成的；四個一組的
Quaternary Geology Of, belonging to, or designating the geologic time, system of rocks, and sedimentary deposits of the second period of the Cenozoic Era, from the end of the Tertiary Period through the present, characterized by the appearance and development of human beings and including the Pleistocene Epoch and the Holocene Epoch.See table at geologic time
Quaternary 【地質(zhì)學】 第四紀的：地質(zhì)時期的，屬于或標志地質(zhì)時期的，巖石系統(tǒng)，新生代第二紀的沉積層，從第三紀末至今，其特征為：人類的出現(xiàn)和發(fā)展，并包括更新世和始新世參見 geologic time
Chemistry Relating to an atom bonded to four carbon atoms:
【化學】 四元的：與四個碳原子相連的原子有關(guān)的：
例句：
a quarternary nitrogen atom.
和四個碳原子相連的氮原子

n.（名詞）
【復數(shù)】 qua.ter.nar.ies
The number four.
數(shù)字四
The member of a group that is fourth in order.
在等級上位于第四的一組成員
Quaternary Geology The second period of the Cenozoic Era and its system of deposits.
Quaternary 【地質(zhì)學】 第四紀：新生代第二紀及沉積系

來源：
Latin quatern3rius
拉丁語 quatern3rius
from quaterno [by fours]
源自 quaterno [分為四份]
from quater [four times] * see k wetwer-
源自 quater [四倍] *參見 k wetwer-