Quadrats

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sampling frame, often square or rectangular, used in ecological research to investigate species distribution and abundance
2. A defined area, usually in the shape of a square or rectangle, designed for the analysis of populations in ecological studies
3. A geometric area, commonly square or rectangular, utilized for studying the distribution and density of organisms in ecological investigations

Etymology: The plural here belongs to "quadrat," which came into English from Latin "quadrātum," meaning "square." The Latin word also gave English "quadrate" and, in a different branch, the term "quadrat" used in typography for a block of metal that spaces out type. The ecological sense is a later extension of that square-shaped meaning. The printing sense is the earliest one recorded in English, attested since 1683. Printers called the em quadrat a spacer because its face is square, with the same width as the height of a line of type. The modern ecologist's frame borrows the same geometry: a marked square laid over the ground, with everything inside it counted. Possible French "cadrat" or Italian "quadrato" routes are also suggested for the term, with the Latin source as the common root.

Synonyms: plots, sections