Main Entry:

¹quar·an·tine

Pronunciation:

\ˈkwȯr-ən-ˌtēn, ˈkwär-\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

partly modification of French quarantaine, from Old French, from quarante forty, from Latin quadraginta, from quadra- (akin to quattuor four) + -ginta (akin to viginti twenty); partly modification of Italian quarantena quarantine of a ship, from quaranta forty, from Latin quadraginta — more at four, vigesimal

Date:

1609

1: a period of 40 days2 a: a term during which a ship arriving in port and suspected of carrying contagious disease is held in isolation from the shore b: a regulation placing a ship in quarantine c: a place where a ship is detained during quarantine3 a: a restraint upon the activities or communication of persons or the transport of goods designed to prevent the spread of disease or pests b: a place in which those under quarantine are kept4: a state of enforced isolation