WordGarden.ioquartet
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /kwɔːtˈɛt/
US
- /kwɔrˈtɛt/
Meanings
Noun
a group of four singers or musicians performing together
a piece of music written for four performers
any set of four people or things considered together
Beyond the definition
A quartet is a group of four, and it is often used for music. You might hear about a string quartet playing in a concert hall or a barbershop quartet singing on a street corner. The word can also be used more widely for four people or four things that belong together, such as a quartet of friends or a quartet of paintings. It often suggests that the four parts form one whole.
The word "quartet" most commonly refers to a group of four performers, especially musicians. This could be a vocal quartet with four singers, an instrumental quartet like a string quartet with two violins, a viola, and a cello, or a jazz quartet with players such as a saxophonist, pianist, bassist, and drummer. In this sense, the word points to four parts working together as one group.
The word is also used more broadly for any group of four people or things that are connected or treated as one set. You might read about a quartet of paintings in a gallery, a quartet of detectives on a case, or a quartet of books in a series. In these uses, the focus is simply on the four parts belonging together.
The word comes from the Italian "quartetto," which means "group of four." It is still strongly linked with music, especially in phrases like "string quartet," but it also works in general writing and speech for other groups of four. Whether the subject is musical, artistic, or social, the idea stays the same: four connected parts seen as a single group.
Examples
- 1
Music group
A jazz quartet played in the hotel lounge after dinner.
- 2
Classical music
She writes music for string quartet and piano.
- 3
Group of four
A quartet of students stayed behind to clean up after the event.
- Patterna quartet of + plural noun
a group or set of four
- 4
Problem set
The report highlights a quartet of problems: rising costs, staff shortages, delays, and poor communication.
See also
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- quartetnoun
Forms
- quartetspluralnoun