early 15c., "consisting of four parts," from Latin quaternarius "of four each, containing four," from quaterni "four each, by fours," from quater "four times," related to quattuor "four" (see four). Also as a noun, "the number four" (mid-15c.), from Latin quaternarius.
In geological sense, attested from 1843 in English, proposed 1829 by French geologist Jules Pierre François Stanislas Desnoyers (1800-1887) as name for "the fourth great epoch of geological time," but because it comprises only the age of man, and the other epochs are many hundred times longer, not all accepted it.
权威例句
1. Cationics are usually quaternary ammomium salts.
阳离子表面活性剂通常为季铵盐类.
2. The Quaternary sediments are largely undeformed.
第四纪的沉积物大部分未变形.
3. Moreover , there is a chiral quaternary carbon in the 1 - hydroxyethylidenediphosphonic ( hedp ) ligand.
证实1-羟基乙叉 -1,1-二膦酸配体 ( hedp ) 中的季碳为手性碳原子.
4. China's Datong group of volcanic Quaternary volcanic one of the group.
大同火山群是我国第四纪火山群之一.
5. Iron - nickel - phosphorus - boron quaternary alloy electroless plating on copper panel was described.