fourth-degree vs quaternary

fourth-degree

adj
  • At the fourth level of some system 

  • The most severe level of damage, typically involving major damage to muscles, tendons, and ligaments as well as the skin. 

quaternary

adj
  • Of fourth rank or order 

  • Relating to or in number base four 

  • Of a mathematical expression containing e.g. x⁴ 

  • quaternary ammonium 

  • composed of four elements 

noun
  • A quaternary compound. 

  • The Quaternary period or the system of deposits laid down during it. 

How often have the words fourth-degree and quaternary occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )