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quadrille

1
[ kwo-dril, kwuh-, kuh- ]
/ kwɒˈdrɪl, kwə-, kə- /
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noun
a square dance for four couples, consisting of five parts or movements, each complete in itself.
the music for such a dance.
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Origin of quadrille

1
First recorded in 1770–80; from French: “group of riders in a tournament; one of the four groups of dancers in a quadrille,” from Spanish cuadrilla “company, troop,” diminutive of cuadra “square, battle square,” from Latin quadra “side of a square; quadrant”

Words nearby quadrille

quadrigatus, quad right, quadrilateral, quadrilingual, quadriliteral, quadrille, quadrillion, quadrinomial, quadripartite, quadriphonics, quadriplegia

Other definitions for quadrille (2 of 3)

quadrille2
[ kwo-dril, kwuh-, kuh- ]
/ kwɒˈdrɪl, kwə-, kə- /
noun
a card game played by four persons.

Origin of quadrille

2
First recorded in 1720–30; an extended sense of quadrille1

Other definitions for quadrille (3 of 3)

quadrille3
[ kwo-dril, kwuh-, kuh- ]
/ kwɒˈdrɪl, kwə-, kə- /
adjective
ruled in squares, as graph paper.

Origin of quadrille

3
First recorded in 1855–60; from French quadrillé, from quadrille, a kind of diamond-shaped stitch in needlework, from Spanish cuadrillo “a small square”; see quadrille1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to quadrille

barn dance, country dance, hoedown

How to use quadrille in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quadrille (1 of 2)

quadrille1
/ (kwɒˈdrɪl, kwə-) /
noun
a square dance of five or more figures for four or more couples
a piece of music for such a dance, alternating between simple duple and compound duple time

Word Origin for quadrille

C18: via French from Spanish cuadrilla, diminutive of cuadro square, from Latin quadra

British Dictionary definitions for quadrille (2 of 2)

quadrille2
/ (kwɒˈdrɪl, kwə-) /
noun
an old card game for four players

Word Origin for quadrille

C18: from French, from Spanish cuartillo, from cuarto fourth, from Latin quartus, influenced by quadrille 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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