an equation in which the highest power of an unknown quantity is a square
"The student struggled until her tutor showed how to solve the quadratic equation where the variable was squared."
a polynomial of the second degree
"The mathematician spent hours simplifying the quadratic equation before finding its roots."
A quadratic polynomial, function or equation.
"The teacher asked us to solve the quadratic equation on the board before lunch."
square-shaped
"The architect designed a quadratic courtyard to create a perfectly symmetrical garden in the center of the city block."
The word quadratic comes from the French quadratique, which is derived from the Latin quadrātus meaning "square." This original sense of being square ultimately traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root related to the number four.