(Originally) a sack capable of holding a quarter of grain, etc.; (later) one quarter of a sack of a specified or standard size, or the contents of this.
Origin
Late Middle English; earliest use found in Thomas Hoccleve (c1367–1426), poet and clerk.
Definition of quarter-sack in US English:
quarter-sack
noun
(Originally) a sack capable of holding a quarter of grain, etc.; (later) one quarter of a sack of a specified or standard size, or the contents of this.
Origin
Late Middle English; earliest use found in Thomas Hoccleve (c1367–1426), poet and clerk.