Quadruple

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈkwɒd.ɹʊ.pəl/

Definitions

1. To multiply by four or to consist of four parts or elements
2. To increase something to four times its original amount or to be made up of four distinct components or sections
3. To cause a fourfold increase in quantity or to be comprised of four individual units or aspects

Etymology: Latin "quadruplus" was built from "quadri-", a combining form of "quattuor" meaning "four", and "-plus", the same element that appears in "duplus" (double) and "triplus" (triple). Its root sense is simply "four-fold", so the word is a transparent piece of Latin arithmetic: four units of something rather than one. English borrowed it through Middle English, where it appeared in the same sense, and it has stayed close to that literal meaning ever since. The verb "quadruple" means to multiply something by four, and the adjective describes something that is four times as great or made up of four parts. The sense of a fourfold quantity has never drifted far from the Latin, which makes the word a rare case where the original arithmetic and the modern usage match exactly.

Synonyms: fourfold, four times, multiply by four, quaternary, four-part