Quadruplet

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kwɒˈdɹʌplət/

Definitions

1. A set of four children born at one time can also refer to any group consisting of four items that are similar or connected in some way
2. The term denotes four babies delivered in a single labor or may signify four related entities that share common characteristics
3. A group consisting of four similar or related things ; four babies born from the same pregnancy

Etymology: "Quadruplet" is a plain formation: it takes "quadruple," meaning fourfold, and adds the diminutive suffix "-et," the same ending found in "piglet" and "booklet." The suffix signals a small or individual member of a group, so a quadruplet is one of a set of four, much as a triplet is one of three. The pattern is the same one that gave English "twin," "triplet," and "quintuplet," with "quadruplet" following the Latin-based numerical prefix "quadr-" (four). Because the word is built from familiar parts, its history offers little beyond the logic of its construction, and its meaning has stayed close to the literal sense of "one of four."

Synonyms: fourfold, four, quartet