q

• Dix-septième lettre de l'alphabet anglais, consonne. Elle est presque toujours suivie de la lettre 'u' dans les mots anglais, formant le son /kw/. C'est l'une des lettres les plus rares de la langue. Elle sert d'abréviation pour question, quart (unité de volume), quartier/quatre (sports) et pour la charge électrique en physique.

The seventeenth letter of the English alphabet and the thirteenth consonant, almost always followed by the letter 'u' in native English words to represent the voiceless velar plosive /k/ combined with the semivowel /w/, as in 'queen'. As a grapheme, 'Q' is one of the least frequently used letters in English. Its shape is a circle with a diagonal tail descending below the baseline. It functions as an abbreviation for question, quart, quarter, and the seventeenth item in a sequence, as well as a designation in card games and physics.

1. The seventeenth letter of the English alphabetA1formal

   The uppercase or lowercase character (Q, q) that constitutes the seventeenth symbol in the Latin-based English alphabet, classified as a consonant. It is unique for its invariable pairing with 'u' in native English words, producing the /kw/ sound. It is the second least common letter in English. Its name, 'cue', is a homophone of the word for a signal to begin.

   lettre q

   • The word 'queen' begins with the letter Q.
   • In English, Q is almost always followed by the letter U.
   • The lowercase q has a tail that drops below the line.
   • Qatar and Iraq are countries whose names contain Q without a following U.
   • The letter Q is worth 10 points in Scrabble.

2. An abbreviation for questionA1informal

   The letter Q used as a common abbreviation for 'question' in written contexts. It frequently appears in FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), Q&A sessions, tests, and quizzes. Paired with A for Answer, the Q&A format is a staple of interviews, instructions, and knowledge bases.

   Abréviation de question

   • Please hold all your Qs until the end of the presentation.
   • The FAQ section on the website answered all my Qs.
   • The Q&A after the lecture was very insightful.
   • We ran out of time for the final Q.
   • The game show host read out the next Q.

3. The queen in card games or chessA2informalsport

   The letter Q used as the standard abbreviation for the Queen in playing cards and chess notation. In a deck of cards, the Queen is a face card ranking between the Jack and King, often depicted as a regal female figure. In chess, Q is the most powerful piece on the board, capable of moving any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

   Reine (cartes à jouer et échecs)

   • She played the Q of hearts to win the trick.
   • In chess notation, Q to h5 can be a quick checkmate threat.
   • A royal flush is A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit.
   • The queen is more valuable than a rook, so she sacrificed the Q.
   • He drew the Q of clubs from the top of the deck.

4. A symbol for electric charge in physicsC1formalscientific

   The lowercase or uppercase letter Q used as the standard symbol to denote electric charge in physics and electrical engineering, measured in coulombs (C). The charge of a single proton is +e, and a single electron is -e, but for macroscopic amounts, Q represents the total net charge. It is central to equations in electrostatics and circuit theory.

   Charge électrique

   • The formula I = Q/t relates current, charge, and time.
   • The capacitor stored a charge Q of 5 microcoulombs.
   • Coulomb's law gives the force between two point charges Q1 and Q2.
   • The net charge Q on the object was found to be positive.
   • Calculate the total charge Q passing through the wire per second.

5. An abbreviation for quart or quarterB2informalamerican

   The letter Q used as an informal abbreviation for the unit of volume 'quart' or the fraction 'quarter'. A quart is a liquid measure equal to 2 pints or roughly 0.946 liters. A quarter represents one-fourth of a whole, commonly used for time divisions (financial quarters) or fractional amounts in recipes and measurements.

   Q (abréviation de quart ou quarter)

   • The recipe calls for one Q of milk.
   • Company earnings were up in Q3 of this year.
   • He ran a quarter of a mile, often written as a Q-mile.
   • She poured exactly one Q of oil into the engine.
   • Fiscal year Q1 starts in October for this organization.