NOUN (3)

1. a prescribed number;
- Example: "all the salesmen met their quota for the month"

2. a proportional share assigned to each participant;

3. a limitation on imports;
- Example: "the quota for Japanese imports was negotiated"

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Quota \Quo"ta\ (kw[=o]"t[.a]), n. [LL., fr. L. quota (sc. pars),
   fr. quotus which or what in number, of what number, how many,
   fr. quot how many, akin to quis, qui, who: cf. It. quota a
   share. See Who.]
   1. A proportional part or share; the share or proportion
      assigned to each in a division. "Quota of troops and
      money." --Motley.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. a share of effort required to be performed, or a share of
      resources required to be contributed to some common
      purpose.
      [PJC]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

quota
    n 1: a prescribed number; "all the salesmen met their quota for
         the month"
    2: a proportional share assigned to each participant
    3: a limitation on imports; "the quota for Japanese imports was
       negotiated"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

81 Moby Thesaurus words for "quota":
   adjunct, allocation, allotment, allowance, apportionment,
   arithmetical proportion, big end, bigger half, bit, bite, budget,
   chunk, commission, component, contingent, continued fraction,
   cross section, cut, deal, destiny, detachment, detail, divide,
   dividend, division, divvy, dole, end, equal share, equity, fate,
   fraction, geometric ratio, half, halver, harmonic proportion,
   helping, improper fraction, installment, interest, item, lot,
   measure, meed, mess, modicum, moiety, parcel, part, particular,
   percent, percentage, piece, portion, proportion, prorate, quadrant,
   quantum, quarter, quotum, rake-off, random sample, rate, ratio,
   ration, remainder, rule of three, sample, sampling, section,
   sector, segment, share, shift, slice, small share, stake, stock,
   subdivision, subgroup, subspecies



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

QUOTA. That part which each one is to bear of some expense; as, his quota of
this debt; that is, his proportion of such debt.