noun
quarto
KWOR-toh/ˈkwɔːrtəʊ/
A book or printed work made by folding each sheet into four leaves.
The quarto gathering contains four leaves formed by folding one sheet twice.
Etymology
The ‘fourth part’ refers to each leaf occupying one-quarter of the original sheet. Folding the sheet twice produces that proportion, which gives this book format its name.
In context
the second quarto, which is if we can think of it like a paperback
More examples
- The printer folds each sheet twice to produce a quarto.
- She compares two quartos of the same play.
- The library keeps its oldest quartos in protective boxes.
Forms
quarto · quartos