quer

See also: quer-

Catalan

Etymology

Uncertain. Possibly from Proto-Basque *karri (“rock”) (compare Basque harri), or from Proto-Celtic *karr- (“rock”) (compare Welsh craig, Irish creag, Manx creg, Armenian քար (kʻar)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈkɛr]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) unknown
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈker]

Noun

quer m (plural quers)

1. (archaic) rock

   Synonym: penya

Related terms

• Cadaqués
• Queralbs
• Queralt

Further reading

• “quer” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• “quer”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025

Galician

Etymology 1

From Old Galician-Portuguese quer, third-person singular present indicative of querer: "he/she/it wants".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɛɾ/

Verb

quer

1. third-person singular present indicative of querer; alternative form of quere

Conjunction

quer … quer

1. whether … or
   • 1350, K. M. Parker (ed.), Historia Troyana. Santiago: Instituto "Padre Sarmiento", page 95:

     Et quando se asañaua, nõ gardaria cousa que nõdisese, quer fose vergonçosa quer maa quer bõa, todo o diria.

     And when he was angry he would not keep a thing that he didn't say, whether embarrassing or mean or good, everything he would say

2. either … or
   • 1301, X. Ferro Couselo, editor, A vida e a fala dos devanceiros, Vigo: Galaxia, page 52:

     quer millo quer çenteo

     either millet or barley

Related terms

• calquera
• sequera
• se Deus quer

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “quer”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “quer”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “quer”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “quer”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Etymology 2

Verb

quer

1. (reintegrationist norm) inflection of querer:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

German

Alternative forms

• queer, zwerch

Etymology

From Middle High German twer, dwer, quer, from Old High German twerh (“oblique”), from Proto-West Germanic *þwerh. Doublet of queer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kveːɐ̯/
• Rhymes: -eːɐ̯

• Audio (Austria):

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

quer (strong nominative masculine singular querer, not comparable)

1. crosswise, cross

Declension

Positive forms of quer (uncomparable)

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist quer	sie ist quer	es ist quer	sie sind quer
strong declension (without article)	nominative	querer	quere	queres	quere
	genitive	queren	querer	queren	querer
	dative	querem	querer	querem	queren
	accusative	queren	quere	queres	quere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der quere	die quere	das quere	die queren
	genitive	des queren	der queren	des queren	der queren
	dative	dem queren	der queren	dem queren	den queren
	accusative	den queren	die quere	das quere	die queren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein querer	eine quere	ein queres	(keine) queren
	genitive	eines queren	einer queren	eines queren	(keiner) queren
	dative	einem queren	einer queren	einem queren	(keinen) queren
	accusative	einen queren	eine quere	ein queres	(keine) queren

Related terms

• Querangel
• Querbalken
• Quere
• queren
• Querflöte
• Querformat
• Querholz
• Querlatte
• Quermaß
• Querschnitt
• Querstraße
• Querstreifen
• Querverbindung
• überqueren

Adverb

quer

1. crosswise, across

   Das Blut transportiert die Nährstoffe quer durch den Körper.

   The blood transports nutrients throughout the body.

Derived terms

• kreuz und quer
• Querdenker
• Quereinsteiger
• Querleser
• sich quer legen

Related terms

• queren

Further reading

• “quer” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Adjective” in Duden online
• “Adverb” in Duden online

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkwer/
• Rhymes: -er
• Hyphenation: qù‧er

Determiner

quer m sg

1. (Romanesco) alternative form of quel (rhotacism)

Middle French

Noun

quer m (plural quers)

1. alternative form of cuer

Descendants

• English: quire

Old French

Etymology 1

From Latin quare.

Conjunction

quer

1. as, since, because, for

   ...quer le sens de li e la vertu creissoit chescun jour de mieux en mieux.

   Because his discernment and his virtue grew better from day to day.

2. (interrogative) why, wherefore

   chevalier, cher vus purpensez?

   knights, why are you still thinking?

Descendants

• French: car

Etymology 2

Noun

quer oblique singular, m (oblique plural quers, nominative singular quers, nominative plural quer)

1. (typically Anglo-Norman) alternative form of cuer
   • c. 1250, Marie de France, Equitan:

     m'est une anguisse el quer ferue, ki tut le cors me fet trembler

     Such a pain has pierced my heart, that makes my whole body quiver

Etymology 3

Noun

quer oblique singular, m (oblique plural quers, nominative singular quers, nominative plural quer)

1. (Old Northern French) alternative form of chier

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛ(ʁ)/ [ˈkɛ(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛ(ʁ)/ [ˈkɛ(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛ(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛ(ʁ)/ [ˈkɛ(χ)]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛ(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈkɛ.ɾi/

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: quer

Verb

quer

1. inflection of querer:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. (Brazilian Portuguese spelling) second-person singular imperative

Synonyms

• (second-person singular affirmative imperative of querer): quere

Conjunction

quer … quer or quer … ou

1. whether … or

   Iremos, quer chova ou não. / Iremos, quer chova, quer não.

   We shall go, whether it rains or not.

Related terms

• qualquer

Further reading

• “quer”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025