quadrat (n.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict[quadrat 词源字典]
"a blank, low-cast type used by typographers to fill in larger spaces in printed lines," 1680s, from French quadrat "a quadrat," literally "a square," from Latin quadratrus, past participle of quadrare "to square, make square" (see quadrant). Earlier in English it meant a type of surveying instrument (c. 1400).[quadrat etymology, quadrat origin, 英语词源]