Etymograph

English

cadrans

Cadrans comes from French cadran ‘quadrant’, from Latin quadrāns ‘fourth part, quarter’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwṓr1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷettwōr1‘four’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquattuor2‘four’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrāns3‘fourth part, quarter’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentcadran4‘quadrant’
  6. Englishtodaycadrans4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin quattuor
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin quadrans
  3. 3 Wiktionary, French cadran
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English cadrans

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwṓrWiktionary, Latin quattuorreconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷettwōrWiktionary, Latin quattuor‘four’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquattuorWiktionary, Latin quadrans‘four’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrānsWiktionary, French cadran‘fourth part, quarter’
  5. Frenchc. 1600–presentcadranWiktionary, English cadrans‘quadrant’
  6. EnglishtodaycadransWiktionary, English cadrans

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr

four, 26 more

through Proto-Italic *kʷettwōr ‘four’

squadron, 24 more

through Latin quattuor ‘four’

square, squad, quarry, cater, quadruple, quadratic, quatre, cadre, cuatro, quatrain, quadra, 25 more

through Latin quadrāns ‘fourth part, quarter’

quadrant, 5 more

Today it means

noun An instrument by which a gem is adjusted while being cut.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “cadrans”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin quattuor, Latin quadrans, French cadran. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr / cadrans

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