View synonyms for quadrille

quadrille

[ kwo-dril, kwuh-, kuh- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a square dance for four couples, consisting of five parts or movements, each complete in itself.
the music for such a dance.

quadrille

[ kwo-dril, kwuh-, kuh- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a card game played by four persons.

quadrille

[ kwo-dril, kwuh-, kuh- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

ruled in squares, as graph paper.

quadrille

/ kwə-; kwɒˈdrɪl /

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

quadrille

/ kwə-; kwɒˈdrɪl /

noun

an old card game for four players

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Word History and Origins

Origin of quadrille¹

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”

Origin of quadrille²

First recorded in 1720–30; an extended sense of quadrille ¹( def )

Origin of quadrille³

First recorded in 1855–60; from French quadrillé, from quadrille, a kind of diamond-shaped stitch in needlework, from Spanish cuadrillo “a small square”; quadrille ¹

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Word History and Origins

Origin of quadrille¹

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

Origin of quadrille²

C18: from French, from Spanish cuartillo, from cuarto fourth, from Latin quartus, influenced by quadrille ¹

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