Quadruplets
/ˈkwɒd.rʊ.pləts/noun
Four offspring born in the same pregnancy or four things occurring as a group.
Did you know?“Quadruplet” was formed in English from “quadruple” with the diminutive suffix “-et,” modeled on words such as “triplet,” rather than being inherited directly from ancient Latin.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kʷetwóres
“The reconstructed word for “four,” the ancient ancestor of several European number words.”
Ancient Italic
Proto-Italic
*kwetwōr
“The inherited Italic form meaning “four.””
Classical Latin
Latin
quattuor
““Four,” the direct Latin numeral.”
Classical Latin
Latin
quadruplex
““Fourfold” or “having four parts,” built from quadrus, “four-sided,” and a multiplicative element.”
12th–14th Century
Old French
quadruple
““Fourfold” or “four times as much,” from Latin quadruplus through French usage.”
18th Century
English
quadruplet
“A group of four, formed from quadruple plus the suffix -et; the plural “quadruplets” means four such offspring or objects.”