quadrille

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kwɒdˈɹɪl/^[1]

Etymology

The dance is borrowed from French quadrille (“one of four groups of horsemen”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Spanish cuadrilla (“troop, company”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} a diminutive of cuadro or cuadra “square”,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Latin quadrum (“a square”).^[2][3][4][5] The card game is a separate word,^[2][4][6] from French quadrille, from Spanish cuartillo, a diminutive of cuarto “fourth”.^[2][4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

A card game for four players, using a pack of forty cards (1726).^[3][4][5][7]

Semantic evolution

The card game was fashionable from 1726 until whist replaced it.^[4][7] The other quadrille meant one of four groups of horsemen in a tournament (1738),^[3][4][7] and then a square dance for four couples in five figures (1773).^[3][4][7] The craze for the dance reached England in 1816.^[4] An adjective quadrille “ruled in squares”, as graph paper, is from French quadrillé (about 1885).^[5][6]

Timeline

• 1726 – the card game.^[3][4][5][7]
• 1738 – a group of horsemen in a tournament.^[3][7]
• 1773 – the square dance.^[3][4][7]
• 1816 – the dance becomes a craze in England.^[4]
• about 1885 – adjective, ruled in squares.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A square dance of French origin, performed by four couples and made up of five figures.
2. The music for this dance, in 6/8 and 2/4 time.
3. A card game popular in the 18th century, played by four people with a 40-card pack.
4. A choreographed dressage ride for four or more horses.

Adjective

1. Marked or ruled in squares, as graph paper.

Related words

• quad
• quadrangle
• quarter
• square
• cotillion

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e f Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press