Quota Is Latin for How Large a Share
A quota is a fixed share or limited quantity. The word is the beginning of a Latin question about proportion.
A quota is a fixed share, or a limited quantity that may be produced, imported or admitted. The word is a fragment of the Latin phrase *quota pars*, meaning how great a part. English kept the questioning word and dropped the noun, so a quota is literally an answer to 'how much of the whole'. The same Latin *quot*, how many, gives *quotient*, *quorum* and *quote*, the last through the practice of numbering passages for reference.
- A fixed share. *A production quota.*
- An import limit. *An import quota.*
- A target. *Meet your quota.*
- Quota pars — how great a part. *Quota pars.*
- Latin — *quot*, how many. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | quota | A quota. |
| Plural | quotas | Quotas. |
| Related | quotient | A quotient. |
| Related | quorum | A quorum. |
| Latin | quot | How many. |
- The fishing quota was cut.Limit.
- He met his sales quota.Target.
- Quota pars means how great a part.Latin.
The quot family
- Quota — how great a share
- Quotient — the result of division, how many times
- Quorum — literally 'of whom', the minimum needed to act
- Quote — from numbering passages for reference
- Quotidian — daily, from *quot dies*, however many days
Medieval Latin *quota*, short for *quota pars*, how great a part, from Latin *quot*, how many.
What does quota literally mean?
How great a part. It is the surviving half of the Latin phrase quota pars.
Is quorum related?
Yes, through the same family of Latin question words. Quorum means 'of whom', from the wording of old commissions.