Reference

40 Words That Start With Q And Their Quirky Definitions

Memorize a few of these and you're sure to seem quick-witted.

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Words That Start With The Letter Q
Unsplash / Alexander Andrews

Q is truly such a quirky letter, but it does make for some of the best words in the English language. Impress your friends by using some of these quaint Q-words in your everyday vocabulary — trust me, it works!

Qi (n.) in traditional Chinese philosophy, a vital life force that flows through the body

Quack

(n.) a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to skill, knowledge, or qualifications he or she does not possess; a charlatan

Quaco

(n.) a male name day for Wednesday

Quad

(n.) a quadrangle, as on a college campus

Quadrans

(n.) a bronze coin of ancient Rome, the fourth part of an as

Quaff

(v.) to drink a beverage, especially an intoxicating one, copiously and with hearty enjoyment

Quagmire (n.) a situation from which extrication is very difficult

Quaint

(adj.) having an old-fashioned attractiveness or charm; oddly picturesque

Qualitative

(adj.) pertaining to or concerned with quality or qualities

Qualm

(n.) an uneasy feeling or pang of conscience as to conduct; compunction

Quandary

(n.) a state of perplexity or uncertainty, especially as to what to do; dilemma

Quantic

(n.) a rational, integral, homogeneous function of two or more variables

Quarantine

(n.) a strict isolation imposed to prevent the spread of disease

Quarrel

(n.) an angry dispute or altercation; a disagreement marked by a temporary or permanent break in friendly relations

Quasar

(n.) one of over a thousand known extragalactic objects, starlike in appearance and having spectra with characteristically large redshifts, that are thought to be the most distant and most luminous objects in the universe

Quash

(v.) to put down or suppress completely

Quaver (v.) to shake tremendously; quiver or tremble

Quayage

(n.) quays collectively

Quazzy

(adj.) a Southwest English dialect for “unwell”

Queazy

(adj.) inclined to or feeling nausea

Quell

(v.) to suppress; to put an end to

Quench

(v.) to slake, satisfy, or allay

Query

(n.) a question or inquiry

Quester

(n.) a search or pursuit made in order to obtain something

Quibble (n.) an instance of the use of ambiguous, prevaricating, or irrelevant language or arguments to evade a point or issue

Quicksilver

(n.) the metallic element mercury

Quiescence

(adj.) being at rest; quiet; still

Quillet

(n.) a subtlety or quibble

Quincentennial

(adj.) pertaining to or marking a period of 500 years

Quincunx (n.) an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle

Quinquagenarian

(adj.) 50 years of age

Quintessence

(n.) the pure and concentrated essence of a substance

Quip

(n.) a clever or witty remark

Quirt

(n.) a riding whip consisting of a short, stout stock and a lash of braided leather

Quittance

(n.) recompense or requital

Quiver

(v.) to shake with a slight but rapid motion; tremble

Quixotic

(adj.) extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; visionary, impractical, or impracticable

Quoth

(v.) an archaic version of “said”

Quotidian

(adj.) daily

Quotient

(n.) the result of division; the number of times one quantity is contained in another