A
quarter,
short for quarter dollar, is a
U.S. coin worth 25
cents, one-fourth of a
dollar. It has been produced since 1796. The choice of as a denomination—as opposed to the more common elsewhere—originated with the practice of dividing
Spanish milled dollars into eight wedge-shaped segments. At one time "
two bits" (that is, two "
pieces of eight") was a common nickname for a quarter.