quota

quo·ta

noun \ˈkwō-tə\

Definition of QUOTA

1

: a proportional part or share; especially : the share or proportion assigned to each in a division or to each member of a body

2

: the number or amount constituting a proportional share

3

: a fixed number or percentage of minority group members or women needed to meet the requirements of affirmative action

Examples of QUOTA

1. The agency imposes strict fishing quotas.
2. The company has imposed quotas on hiring.
3. He lost his driver's license because he exceeded the quota of traffic violations.
4. The department set new sales quotas in January.

Origin of QUOTA

Medieval Latin, from Latin quota pars how great a part

First Known Use: 1618

Related to QUOTA

Synonyms

allotment, allowance, cut, end, part, piece, portion, proportion, share, slice, take

Related Words

lot, ration; commission, percentage; member, partition, section, segment

Near Antonyms

aggregate, composite, compound, pool, sum, total, totality; whole

Rhymes with QUOTA

bota, flota, lota, rota

quota

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In international trade, a government-imposed limit on the quantity of goods and services that may be exported or imported over a specified period of time. Quotas are more effective than tariffs in restricting trade, since they limit the availability of goods rather than simply increasing their price. By limiting foreign goods, a quota aims to allow domestic goods to compete more successfully, though the price of the goods may also rise. Quotas restricting trade were first imposed on a large scale during World War I. In the 1920s, quotas were progressively abolished and replaced by tariffs, but their use was revived in the wave of protectionism set off by the Great Depression. After World War II, the western European countries began a gradual dismantling of quantitative import restrictions, but the U.S. was slower to discard them. See also free trade; GATT.