Quota

Pronunciation

• US IPA: /ˈkwoÊŠtÉ™/

Origin

From Latin quota, from Latin quota pars.

Full definition of quota

Noun

1. A proportional part or share; the share or proportion assigned to each in a division.
2. A prescribed number or percentage that may serve as, for example, a maximum, a minimum, or a goal.
• 2012, May 27, Nathan Rabin, TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992), The episode’s unwillingness to fully commit to the pathos of the Bart-and-Laura subplot is all the more frustrating considering its laugh quota is more than filled by a rollicking B-story that finds Homer, he of the iron stomach and insatiable appetite, filing a lawsuit against The Frying Dutchman when he’s hauled out of the eatery against his will after consuming all of the restaurant’s shrimp (plus two plastic lobsters).
3. (business, economics) A restriction on the import of something to a specific quantity.

Synonyms

• (proportional part) allocation, allotment, apportionment, quotum

Related terms

• numerus clausus