Kvartaalne

Kvartaalne is an Estonian adjective meaning relating to or occurring in a quarter of a year, i.e., a three-month period. It describes frequency, duration, or distribution at three-month intervals and is commonly used in business, economics, and statistics to refer to data, reports, or plans that are prepared or published four times a year.

The noun kvartal means a quarter of a year or a three-month period, and the adjective kvartaalne derives from this noun. The concept is widespread in financial and statistical contexts, where results and measurements are often broken down by quarters (Q1–Q4). A fiscal year can likewise be divided into kvartalid. The term is borrowed into Estonian from other European languages with similar words for quarter.

Common usage includes phrases such as kvartaalne aruandlus (quarterly reporting), kvartaalne kasum (quarterly profit), and kvartaalne kasv (quarterly growth). In statistical reporting, researchers may present kvartaalne andmete kogumine (collection of quarterly data) and kvartaalne indeks (quarterly index). The term also appears in planning and budgeting, where organisations set kvartaalne eesmärk (quarterly goals) and track progress over each three-month period.

In summary, kvartaalne denotes anything associated with a quarter-year interval or frequency, most notably in financial, corporate, and statistical contexts, contrasting with monthly (kuu) or annual (aastasel/üle aasta) measures.