first quarter

noun

Astronomy.

the instant, approximately one week after a new moon, when one half of the moon's disk is illuminated by the sun.

first quarter

noun

one of the four principal phases of the moon, occurring between new moon and full moon, when half of the lighted surface is visible from earth Compare last quarter

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Word History and Origins

Origin of first quarter¹

First recorded in 1905–10

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But the Clippers struggled in the first quarter, putting themselves in a hole from the start.

From

The collapse in container traffic from China to the port of Los Angeles - the main artery of the world economy for the first quarter of the 21st century - is the one to watch.

From

Doncic, a monster in the first quarter of the first two games of the series, looked badly uncomfortable, starting one for six from the field.

From

A recent report from the California New Car Dealers Assn. found that new vehicle registrations increased by 8.3% in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same time last year.

From

The greater Los Angeles office rental market started the year with a turbulent first quarter and historically high vacancies as tenant demand was persistently soft in spite of more robust return-to-office policies coming from managers.

From

first quantum number first quartile

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