Pyrrhic victory (en)

a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat

qua (la)

Latin for "as"

qualia (en)

(noun) in philosophy: a property (as redness) considered apart from things having the property; individual instances of subjective, conscious experience

querulous (en)

(adjective) habitually complaining / (adjective) fretful whining

quiddity (en)

(noun) the inherent nature or essence of someone or something; a distinctive feature; a peculiarity

quiescent (en)

(adjective) marked by inactivity or repose; tranquilly at rest / (adjective) causing no trouble or symptoms

quietism (en)

(noun) a system of religious mysticism teaching that perfection and spiritual peace are attained by annihilation of the will and passive absorption in contemplation of God and divine things / (noun) a passive withdrawn attitude or policy toward the world or worldly affairs / (noun) a state of calmness or passivity

quincunx (en)

(noun) an arrangement of five things in a square or rectangle with one at each corner and one in the middle

quire (en)

(noun) a collection of 24 or sometimes 25 sheets of paper of the same size and quality; one twentieth of a ream

quondam (en)

(adjective) former, sometime (from Latin)

Rabelaisian (en)

(adjective) of, relating to, or characteristic of Rabelais or his works / (adjective) marked by gross robust humor, extravagance of caricature, or bold naturalism

Racinian (en)

relating to Jean Racine (1639–1699), French dramatist (primarily a tragedian)

raffia (en)

a species of Palm tree

raffish (en)

(adjective) marked by or suggestive of flashy vulgarity or crudeness / (adjective) marked by a careless unconventionality; rakish

raillery (en)

(noun) good-natured ridicule; banter / (noun) jest

raiment (en)

(noun) clothing garments

ramified (en)

spread or branch out

rapacity (en)

aggressive greed

rapprochement (en)

(especially in international affairs) an establishment or resumption of harmonious relations

rarefied (en)

(adjective) being less dense / (adjective) of, relating to, or interesting to a select group; esoteric / (adjective) very high / (verb) to make rare, thin, porous, or less dense; to expand without the addition of matter / (verb) to make more spiritual, refined, or abstruse / (verb) to become less dense

ratchet effect (en)

(labor markets) when workers subject to performance pay choose to restrict their output, because they rationally anticipate that firms will respond to higher output levels by raising output requirements or cutting pay

ratiocination (en)

(noun) the process of exact thinking; reasoning / (noun) a reasoned train of thought

rattan (en)

a type of climbing palm often used in furniture

Raubwirtschaft (de)

a specific case of kleptocracy; translates into plunder/predatory/rapine economy, where the whole economy of the state is based on robbery, looting and plundering the conquered territories (either its neighbours, or its own territory, as long as it can)

realpolitik (en)

(noun) politics based on practical and material factors rather than on theoretical or ethical objectives