a limited or fixed number or amount of people or things, in particular 定额,定量,尤指 ■a limited quantity of a particular product which under official controls can be produced, exported, or imported (产品生产或进出口的)限额,定额 the country may be exceeding its OPEC quota of 1,100,000 barrels of oil per day. 该国可能要超过每日110万桶的欧佩克限额。 ■a fixed share of something that a person or group is entitled to receive from a total (人或团体的)分得的部分,配额 ■a person's share of something that must be done (由某人负责的)任务份额,指标 they were arrested to help fill the quota of arrests the security police had to make during the crackdown. 逮捕他们是为了帮助达到打击活动期间治安警察必须完成的拘留指标。 ■a fixed minimum or maximum number of a particular group of people allowed to do something, as immigrants to enter a country, workers to undertake a job, or students to enrol for a course (移民、就业或选课等方面人员数量上的)限额,定额 the removal of entry quotas encouraged young people to enter universities. 入学限额的取消有助于鼓励年轻人上大学。 ■(in a system of proportional representation) the minimum number of votes required to elect a candidate (比例代表制用语)当选规定票数,最低票数 ■(figurative)a person's share of a particular thing, quality, or attribute (喻)(人对事情、品质或属性拥有的)份额 an Irishman with a double ration of blarney and a treble quota of charm. 一位懂得双倍花言巧语又拥有三倍魅力的爱尔兰人。 ■(亦作 diocesan quota)(in the Anglican Church) the proportion of the funds of a parish contributed to the finances of the diocese (英国国教会牧区贡献给主教教区的)资金份额
语源
early 17th cent.: from medieval Latin quota (pars) 'how great (a part'), feminine of quotus, from quot 'how many'