1894 Brewer’s / Q / Quartermaster
The officer whose duty it is to attend to the quarters of the soldiers. He superintends the issue of stores, food, and clothing. (See Quarters.)
As a nautical term, a quartermaster is a petty officer who, besides other duties, attends to the steering of the ship.
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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.