quaternário

/kwɐ.tɨɾ.ˈna.ɾju/

//kwɐ.tɨɾ.ˈna.ɾju// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“quaternário” is uncommon Portuguese (frequency #74,255 among 274 “Q” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,255
frequency rank, Portuguese
274
“Q” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - composto de quatro unidades

Key facts for quaternário
PropertyValue
Headwordquaternário
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kwɐ.tɨɾ.ˈna.ɾju/
Letters11
Frequency rank#74,255
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “quaternário” sits in Portuguese frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). quaternário lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

quaternário is uncommon Portuguese at frequency #74,255 among 274 “Q” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /kwɐ.tɨɾ.ˈna.ɾju/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for quaternário, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable Portuguese rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Portuguese form is quaternário, spelled Q-U-A-T-E-R-N-Á-R-I-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    composto de quatro unidades
  2. 2
    que tem quatro faces, quatro elementos, etc
  3. 3
    que tem quatro tempos
  4. 4
    diz-se do período geológico, imediatamente posterior ao terciário

This word in other languages

quaternary(English)cuaternario(Español)quaternaire(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "quaternário"?
"quaternário" is spelled Q-U-A-T-E-R-N-Á-R-I-O. The IPA pronunciation is /kwɐ.tɨɾ.ˈna.ɾju/.
What does "quaternário" mean?
As an adjective, "quaternário" means: composto de quatro unidades
How do you pronounce "quaternário"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "quaternário" is /kwɐ.tɨɾ.ˈna.ɾju/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "quaternário" come from?
"quaternário" is a Portuguese word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “quaternário”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is Q-U-A-T-E-R-N-Á-R-I-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kwɐ.tɨɾ.ˈna.ɾju/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words

Other uncommon Portuguese words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list