Definition

A type of book or paper that is made by folding a large sheet into four equal parts, resulting in pages that are smaller than the original sheet.

Example

The library has a rare quarto edition of Shakespeare's plays.

Conversation

Have you seen my new book?

No, I haven't. What size is it?

It's a quarto, so the pages are quite large.

That sounds interesting! I love books with big pages.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

**Quarto** → It originates from the Latin word "quartus" (meaning fourth). The term refers to a book size that is one-fourth of a full sheet of paper, typically folded twice to create four leaves. Thus, "quarto" describes a book format that is derived from the fourth part of a sheet.

Memory Tip

Think of 'fourth' ('quartus') to remember that 'quarto' refers to a book size that is one-fourth of a full sheet.

Visually Confused Words