Definition

1. Noun:
   • A quantity of paper: A specific measure for paper, typically consisting of 24 or 25 sheets of paper of the same size and quality. Historically, it is one-twentieth of a ream.

Usage

• The word quire is a countable noun used primarily in the context of papermaking, bookbinding, and printing. It refers to a specific, standardized unit of paper sheets.
• It is a technical term and is not commonly used in everyday conversation.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The printer ordered several quires of fine parchment for the special edition.
  • A traditional quire consists of 25 sheets, but some modern definitions use 24.

Advanced Usage

• In quires: A phrase used in bookbinding to describe sheets of paper that have been folded and gathered into sections but are not yet bound into a book cover.
  • The book was delivered in quires, ready for the binder to sew them together.

Variants and Related Words

• Choir: A homophone (sounds the same) but with a completely different meaning, referring to an organized group of singers. The words share an etymological root related to a gathering or collection.
• Ream: A larger unit of paper, traditionally 20 quires (480 or 500 sheets).

Synonyms

• Gathering: In bookbinding, a group of sheets folded together to form a section of a book, which can be synonymous with a quire in that context.
• Section: Another term for a folded group of pages in book production.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The primary and almost exclusive modern meaning of quire relates to paper measurement.
• The archaic or alternative spelling linking it to choir (for a group of singers or part of a church) is now obsolete. The word choir is used for that meaning.

Noun

1. a quantity of paper; 24 or 25 sheets