What does quartering mean?
Quartering is most closely associated with the billeting of troops. It names the provision of accommodation for soldiers or other people in designated quarters, historically including the compulsory use of private homes, inns, and other buildings. This sense often carries a connotation of coercion and conflict between soldiers and the communities hosting them. Quartering can also mean the division of an object into four parts, a neutral and comparatively modern use. In heraldry, it refers to dividing a shield into four sections or incorporating another family's arms into one. The word derives through Middle English from Old French and ultimately Latin terms connected with the number four. Its historical sense is especially memorable because an order to quarter soldiers could transform ordinary homes into military accommodation and provoke strong local resentment. That history explains why quartering can carry a darker association than the more neutral act of dividing something into four.
To divide something into four parts or parts; to provide someone, especially soldiers, with quarters or lodging.
"The authorities ordered the inn to be used for quartering the troops."
The lodging sense is chiefly historical and military; the division sense is neutral.
The act of dividing something into four parts, or the provision and assignment of quarters, especially for troops.
"The quartering of soldiers in private homes became a serious political grievance."
This noun is common in historical, military, and legal contexts.
A rare countable plural, most often encountered in specialist descriptions of separate divisions or divisions of a shield.
"The shield's four quarterings contain the emblems of four families."
In its military sense, quartering meant a community's homes could become barracks by official order.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does quartering come from?
The word entered Middle English through Old French quartier, ultimately from Latin quartarius and quartus, both associated with the number four. It developed meanings connected with a fourth part and with quarters or lodging, the latter becoming especially prominent in a military context. Its relatives include quartile, quartet, quarto, and quartermaster.
Related word forms
How quartering is actually used
The billeting sense is chiefly historical or military, though it remains common in discussion of compulsory quartering. The division sense is neutral, while the heraldic sense is specialist. The word can sound formal or archaic when referring to soldiers' lodging.