Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - square

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French esquarre, from Vulgar Latin *exquadra, from *exquadrare to ~, from Latin ex- + quadrare to ~ — more at quadrate  Date: 13th century  1. an instrument having at least one right angle and two straight edges used especially to lay out or test right angles  2. a rectangle with all four sides equal  3. any of the quadrilateral spaces marked out on a board for playing games  4. the product of a number multiplied by itself  5.  a. an open place or area formed at the meeting of two or more streets  b. block 6a  6. a solid object or piece approximating a cube or having a ~ as its largest face  7. an unopened cotton flower with its enclosing bracts  8. a person who is conventional or conservative in taste or way of life  9. a ~ meal ate three ~s a day  II. adjective  (~r; ~st)  Date: 14th century  1.  a. having four equal sides and four right angles  b. forming a right angle ~ corner  c. having a ~ base a ~ pyramid  2. raised to the second power  3.  a. being approximately a cube ~ cabinet  b. having a shape that is broad for the height and rectangular rather than curving in outline ~ shoulders a ~, thick, hard-working man — Maria Edgeworth  c. rectangular and equilateral in section ~ tower  4.  a. being or converted to a unit of area equal in measure to a ~ each side of which measures one unit of a specified unit of length a ~ foot — see metric system table, weight table  b. being of a specified length in each of two equal dimensions 10 feet ~  5.  a. exactly adjusted ; precisely constructed or aligned  b. just, fair a ~ deal ~ in all his dealings  c. leaving no balance ; settled  d. even, tied  e. substantial, satisfying ~ meal  f. being unsophisticated, conservative, or conventional  6. set at right angles with the mast and keel — used of the yards of a ~-rigged ship  • ~ness noun  III. verb  (~d; squaring)  Date: 14th century  transitive verb  1.  a. to make ~ or rectangular ~ a building stone  b. to test for deviation from a right angle, straight line, or plane surface  2. to bring approximately to a right angle ~d his shoulders  3.  a. to multiply (a number) by itself ; raise to the second power  b. to find a ~ equal in area to ~ a circle  4. to regulate or adjust by or to some standard or principle ~ our actions by the opinions of others — John Milton  5.  a. balance, settle ~ an account  b. to even the score of  6. to mark off into ~s  7.  a. to set right ; bring into agreement ~d their goals with their beliefs  b. bribe, fix  intransitive verb  1. to agree precisely ; correspond your actions should ~ with your words  2. to settle matters; especially to pay the bill  • ~r noun  IV. adverb  Date: circa 1582  1. in a straightforward or honest manner  2.  a. so as to face or be face-to-face  b. at right angles  3. with nothing intervening ; directly ran ~ into it  4. in a firm manner looked her ~ in the eye  5. in a ~ shape