quadrat

[kwod-ruh t] /ˈkwɒd rət/
noun
1.
Printing. quad2 (def 1).
2.
Ecology. a square or rectangular plot of land marked off for the study of plants and animals.
Origin
1675-85; variant of quadrate
Examples from the web for quadrat
  • The quadrat method is frequently used to count plant populations over a large region.
  • quadrat information will be collected for each vegetative community that the quadrat bisects.
  • Ice divers use a quadrat to study the density of creatures living on the underside of ice floes.
  • The clipped material from each quadrat was placed in a sealed plastic bag.
  • Then they identified and counted every plant and animal inside the boundary of the quadrat.
  • While remaining in the middle two-thirds portion of the stream bed, move upstream and toss the quadrat once again.
British Dictionary definitions for quadrat

quadrat

/ˈkwɒdrət/
noun
1.
(ecology) an area of vegetation, often one square metre, marked out for study of the plants in the surrounding area
2.
the frame used to mark out such an area
Word Origin
C14 (meaning "a square"): variant of quadrate
Word Origin and History for quadrat
n.

"a blank, low-cast type used by typographers to fill in larger spaces in printed lines," 1680s, from French quadrat "a quadrat," literally "a square," from Latin quadratrus, past participle of quadrare "to square, make square" (see quadrant). Earlier in English it meant a type of surveying instrument (c.1400).