quarter-hour

quarter-hour [kwawr-ter-ouuh r, -ou-er] ExamplesWord Origin noun

1. a period of 15 minutes.
2. a point 15 minutes after or before the hour.

Origin of quarter-hour First recorded in 1880–85 Examples from the Web for quarter-hour Historical Examples of quarter-hour

Tell him that the dinner boxes will be ready in quarter-hour.

The Hound From The North

Ridgwell Cullum

Finally the defense rested, about a quarter-hour before noon.

Lone Star Planet

Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire

Toward night, the quarter-hour of level sun-glare which prevented her seeing the road.

Free Air

Sinclair Lewis

For a quarter-hour he could not gather enough vigor to open it.

Free Air

Sinclair Lewis

When he emerged a quarter-hour after, Joel was actually smiling.

Five Little Peppers at School

Margaret Sidney

British Dictionary definitions for quarter-hour quarter-hour noun

1. a period of 15 minutes
2. any of the points on the face of a timepiece that mark 15 minutes before or after the hour, and sometimes 30 minutes after

Derived Formsquarter-hourly, adverb, adjective