Wiktionary

quite

See also: quité

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology 1

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A development of quit, influence by Anglo-Norman quite. For an analogous semantic development from the same root, compare Armenian շատ (šat).

Pronunciation

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Adverb

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quite (not comparable)

  1. To the greatest extent or degree; completely, entirely.
    Synonyms: very, absolutely, fully, thoroughly, totally, utterly; see also Thesaurus:completely
    1. With verbs, especially past participles. [from 14th c.]
      • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 49, page 118:
        Thus when they had the witch diſrobed quight, / And all her filthy feature open ſhowne, / They let her goe at will, and wander waies vnknowne.
      • 2005 October 4, Adrian Searle, The Guardian:
        Nobuyoshi Araki has been called a monster, a pornographer and a genius—and the photographer quite agrees.
    2. With prepositional phrases and spatial adverbs. [from 15th c.]
      • 1891, Thomas Nelson Page, On Newfound River:
        Margaret passed quite through the pines, and reached the opening beyond which was what was once the yard, but was now, except for a strip of flower-border and turf which showed care, simply a tangle of bushes and briars.
      • 2010 October 30, Joanna Briscoe, The Guardian:
        Religion and parochial etiquette are probed to reveal unhealthy, and sometimes shockingly violent, internal desires quite at odds with the surface life of a town in which tolerance is preached.
    3. With predicative adjectives. [from 15th c.]
      • 1915 December 4 – 1916 January 8, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter V, in The Son of Tarzan, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., published March 1917, →OCLC, pages 66–67:
        El adrea was quite dead. No more will he slink silently upon his unsuspecting prey.
      • 1950, C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe:
        It was almost quite dark in there and she kept her arms stretched out in front of her so as not to bump her face into the back of the wardrobe.
      • 1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page 5:
        In Lejeuneaceae vegetative branches normally originate from the basiscopic basal portion of a lateral segment half, as in the Radulaceae, and the associated leaves, therefore, are quite unmodified.
    4. With attributive adjectives, following an (especially indefinite) article; chiefly as expressing contrast, difference etc. [from 16th c.]
      • 2003, Richard Dawkins, A Devil's Chaplain:
        When I warned him that his words might be offensive to identical twins, he said that identical twins were a quite different case.
      • 2011 September 18, Peter Preston, The Observer:
        Create a new, quite separate, private company – say Murdoch Newspaper Holdings – and give it all, or most of, the papers that News Corp owns.
    5. Preceding nouns introduced by the indefinite article. Chiefly in negative constructions. [from 16th c.]
    6. With adverbs of manner. [from 17th c.]
      • 2009, John F. Schmutz, The Battle of the Crater: A complete history:
        However, the proceedings were quite carefully orchestrated to produce what seemed to be a predetermined outcome.
      • 2011 October 18, Bob Burgess, The Guardian:
        Higher education institutions in the UK are, quite rightly, largely autonomous.
  2. In a fully justified sense; truly, perfectly, actually.
    1. Coming before the indefinite article and an attributive adjective. (Now largely merged with moderative senses, below.) [from 17th c.]
      • 1898, Charles Garvice, Nell of Shorne Mills:
        "My little plot has been rather successful, after all, hasn't it?" "Quite a perfect success," said Drake.
      • 2001 February 7, Paul Brown, The Guardian:
        While the government claims to lead the world with its plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the figures tell quite a different story.
    2. With plain adjectives, past participles, and adverbs. [from 18th c.]
      • 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
        “My Continental prominence is improving,” I commented dryly. / Von Lindowe cut at a furze bush with his silver-mounted rattan. / “Quite so,” he said as dryly, his hand at his mustache. “I may say if your intentions were known your life would not be worth a curse.”
      • 2010 November 5, Dave Hill, The Guardian:
        London Underground is quite unique in how many front line staff it has, as anyone who has travelled on the Paris Metro or New York Subway will testify.
    3. Coming before the definite article and an attributive superlative. [from 18th c.]
      • 1910, Saki [pseudonym; Hector Hugh Munro], “The Soul of Laploshka”, in Reginald in Russia and Other Sketches, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC, page 66:
        Laploshka was one of the meanest men I have ever met, and quite one of the most entertaining.
      • 1923 October 8, “The New Pictures”, in Time:
        Scaramouche has already been greeted as the finest French Revolution yet brought to the screen-and even if you are a little weary of seeing a strongly American band of sans-culottes demolish a pasteboard Paris, you should not miss Scaramouche, for it is quite the best thing Rex Ingram has done since The Four Horsemen.
    4. Before a noun preceded by an indefinite article; now often with ironic implications that the noun in question is particularly noteworthy or remarkable. [from 18th c.]
      • 1830, Senate debate, 15 April:
        To debauch the Indians with rum and cheat them of their land was quite a Government affair, and not at all criminal; but to use rum to cheat them of their peltry, was an abomination in the sight of the law.
      • 2011, Gilbert Morris, The Crossing:
        “Looks like you and Clay had quite a party,” she said with a glimmer in her dark blue eyes.
    5. Before a noun preceded by the definite article. [from 18th c.]
      • 1871 July – 1873 February, Anthony Trollope, “The Aspirations of Mr. Emilius”, in The Eustace Diamonds. A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], published 1872, →OCLC, page 288, column 1:
        It is quite the proper thing for a lady to be on intimate, and even on affectionate, terms with her favourite clergyman, and Lizzie certainly had intercourse with no clergyman who was a greater favourite with her than Mr. Emilius.
      • 2006 February 6, Sherman Alexie, “When the story stolen is your own”, in Time:
        His memoir features a child named Tommy Nothing Fancy who suffers from and dies of a seizure disorder. Quite the coincidence, don't you think?
    6. (now rare) With prepositional or adverbial phrases. [from 18th c.]
  4. To a moderate extent or degree; somewhat, rather. [from 19th c.]
    Mind your shoes, the basement is quite wet.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:moderately
Usage notes
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  • This is a non-descriptive qualifier, similar to fairly and rather and somewhat. Used where a plain adjective needs to be modified, but cannot be qualified. When spoken, the meaning can vary with the tone of voice and stress. He was quite big can mean anything from "not exactly small" to "almost huge".
Derived terms
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Descendants
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  • Jersey Dutch: kwāit
Translations
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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Interjection

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quite

  1. (chiefly UK) Indicates agreement; exactly so.
    “That's a rather ugly colour for a house, don't you think?” — “Quite.”

Etymology 2

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From Spanish quite.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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quite (plural quites)

  1. (bullfighting) A series of passes made with the cape to distract the bull.

Anagrams

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Galician

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Verb

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quite

  1. inflection of quitar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Latin

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Verb

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quīte

  1. second-person plural present active imperative of queō

Old French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin quiētus (pronounced in Medieval Latin as quíetus > quitus). Compare the inherited coi.

Adjective

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quite m (oblique and nominative feminine singular quite)

  1. free, liberated

Descendants

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References

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Portuguese

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Old Galician-Portuguese quite, from Old French quitte (“free; liberated”), from Latin quiētus.

Adjective

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quite m or f (plural quites)

  1. quit (released from obligation)
  2. settled
  3. divorced
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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Verb

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quite

  1. inflection of quitar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Spanish

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈkite/ [ˈki.t̪e]
  • Rhymes: -ite
  • Syllabification: qui‧te

Etymology 1

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Deverbal from quitar.

Noun

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quite m (plural quites)

  1. the action of removal
  2. a swerve or sidestep
Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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Verb

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quite

  1. inflection of quitar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Further reading

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