quarantine

noun

1. 1

   A period of 40 days, particularly

2. 2

   historicalA period of 40 days, particularly The 40-day period during which a widow is entitled to remain in her deceased husband's home while any dower is collected and returned.

   Querentyne is where a man dyeth seisyd of a maner place and other landis where of the wyfe ought to be indowed, than the woman shall hold the maner place by .xl. days within which tyme her dower shalbe to her assyned.

3. 3

   historicalA period of 40 days, particularly The 40-day period of isolation required after 1448 at Venice's lazaret to avoid renewed outbreaks of the bubonic plague and identical policies in other locations.

4. 4

   historicalA period of 40 days, particularly A 40-day period formerly imposed by the French king upon warring nobles during which they were forbidden from exacting revenge or continuing to fight.

   Quarantain of the King, is a Truce of forty Days appointed by S. Louis; during which it was expressly forbid to take any Revenge of the Relation or Friends of People.

   Forty days, called the King's quarantain, were allowed the friends or relations of a principal in a private war to grant or find security.

5. 5

   A period, instance, or state of isolation from the general public or from native livestock and flora enacted to prevent the spread of any contagious disease.

   The tourists were put in quarantine to ensure none of them would be able to spread the plague.

   From Toulon... Our Gallyes which were upon the point of finishing their Quarantaine, and entering into this Port, have been hindred from it by th'arrival of three others that were out a roaming.

   Making of all ships coming from thence... to perform their Quarantine (for 30 days as Sir Richard Browne expressed it... contrary to the import of the word; though in the general acceptation, it signifies now the thing, not the time spent in doing it).

   This dreadful malady might be annihilated by making all the dogs in Great Britain perform a kind of quarantine, by shutting them up for a certain number of weeks.

6. 6

   figurativeA similar period, instance, or state of rigidly enforced or self-enforced detention or isolation.

   Now treating Sandwich seems the fittest choice For Spain, there to condole and to rejoyce: He meets the French, but to avoid all harms, Slips into Groine, Embassies bears no Arms. There let him languish a long Quarrentine, And ne're to England come, till he be clean.

   What I wish to put under Quarantine are family events—& all allusion thereto past—present—or to come.

7. 7

   A place where such isolation is enforced, a lazaret.

   They bring wood, millet, rye, barley, and a little wheat to the quarantine to barter with the Cossaks for salt.

8. 8

   figurativeA blockade of trade, suspension of diplomatic relations, or other action whereby one country seeks to isolate another.

   When a great power establishes diplomatic quarantine against them it is well not to go too far on a course on which they appear to be embarking with a light heart.

   President Roosevelt today challenged the effectiveness of a policy of neutrality in keeping the United States at peace and advocated instead a collective ‘quarantine’ of aggressor nations.

   To halt this offensive buildup, a strict quarantine on all offensive military equipment under shipment to Cuba is being initiated. All ships of any kind bound for Cuba from whatever nation or port will, if found to contain cargoes of offensive weapons, be turned back. This quarantine will be extended, if needed, to other types of cargo and carries.

9. 9

   figurativeAn isolation of one program, drive, computer, etc. from the rest of a computer network to limit the damage from a bug, computer virus, etc.

   Also included is Canary, a ‘quarantine’ program for use as a sample to test for a virus by pairing it with new or suspect programs.

   At least one expert says... that a quarantine can be futile if the software is infected with a time-activated virus.

10. 10

    figurativeThe program, drive, computer, etc. thus isolated.

    If they click on the link then they're added to your approved senders list and their message is moved to your inbox; if they don't, the message stays in quarantine.

verb

1. 1

   To place into isolation to prevent the spread of any contagious disease.

   Venice began quarantining incoming ships for 40 days in 1448 to prevent further outbreaks of bubonic plague.

   We... sent our boat on board a French man of war lying in the bay, with a letter for our consul; captain Murray not wishing to have any communication with the shore, for fear of being quarantined at the next port he went to.

   On sanitary grounds Morocco could certainly show better cause for placing a quarantine on Spain than Spain for quarantining Morocco.

2. 2

   To enter or stay in quarantine, particularly to self-quarantine to avoid an epidemic disease.

   International travelers must quarantine themselves at their own expense in a designated hotel for 14 days upon arrival.

   The Mauretania... is expected to ‘quarantine’ at New York at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

   She brought her dog home, and that's a big step. Dogs have to quarantine for six months in England.

   Australians returning from overseas have been required to quarantine for 14 days since 15 March, with mandatory stays inside hotel rooms enforced since 29 March.

3. 3

   obsoleteTo impose a quarantine, to establish quarantine regulations.

   It has just been announced that Norfolk, Va., and Holly Springs, Miss., have quarantined against Memphis.

4. 4

   figurativeSynonym of isolate more generally.

   J.F.K. "quarantined" Cuba rather than blockading it to avoid needless escalation of the conflict.

   ...where I should be detained, Quarantined, smoaked & vinegard...

   No computer system or even individual PC is safe from a virus unless it is isolated—quarantined, in effect—from all others.

5. 5

   figurativeSynonym of restrict.

   Did any moral taint hang about me that quarantined my entrance into its circle?

   The parliament of the island... quarantined Great Britain against sending any potatoes into the island.

proper noun

1. 1

   Variant of QuarantineobsoleteAlternative letter-case form of Quarantine: the Mount of Temptation where Jesus Christ supposedly fasted for 40 days, Jebel Quruntul near Jericho.

   By yonde ys a wyldernys of quarentyne, Wher Cryst wyth fastyng hys body dyd pyne; In that holy place, as we rede, The deuyl wold had of stonys bred.

Forms

plural

quarantines

past tense

quarantined

past participle

quarantined

present participle

quarantining

third person singular

quarantines