cue

Meaning

Noun

1. The name of the Latin-script letter Q/q.
2. (obsolete) A small portion of bread or beer; the quantity bought with a farthing or half farthing and noted with a q (for Latin quadrāns (“farthing”)) in the buttery books.

Verb

1. To give someone a cue signal.
2. To spark or provoke.

Verb

1. To take aim on the cue ball with the cue and hit it.
2. To form into a cue; to braid; to twist.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkjuː/

Etymology

Form of Latin qū. First attested as Middle English cu for half a farthing, as an abbreviation for Latin quadrāns (“quarter of an as”). Compare French qu.