Q

1. quarterly.

2. Chess. queen.

Symbol.

1. the 17th in order or in a series, or, when I is omitted, the 16th.

2. (sometimes l.c.) the medieval Roman numeral for 500. Cf. Roman numerals.

3. Biochem. glutamine.

4. Physics. heat.

5. Thermodynam. a unit of heat energy, equal to 10¹⁸ British thermal units (1.055 × 10²¹ joules).

6. Also called Q-factor. Electronics. the ratio of the reactance to the resistance of an electric circuit or component.

7. Biblical Criticism. the symbol for material common to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke that was not derived from the Gospel of Mark.

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      pseudonym of Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch (Quiller-Couch, Sir Arthur Thomas) (q.v.).

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