Francis Martin's definitions

quayer

One fourth of a book containing legends told or written by the Dragon Scribe or referring to any of the mysterious activities of the Dragon Council. A "quayer" is an ancient method, all but extinct from modern usage, of folding a sheet of paper into four equal sizes to form a small booklet of just four pages -- which has evolved in meaning to be one-fourth of a book containing multiple chapters each. It was once suggested that its etymology can be traced to the love of a certain naval architect for words suggestive of sailing who would fold up blueprints for his ships and bury them beneath lighthouses; in this case borrowing off the hybridization of "quay" as well as "quarter."

Whereas most plays are divided into "acts," books are often divided into parts; a book that has four parts can be divided into four quayers, then further subdivided into chapters.

by Francis Martin August 6, 2014