cuatro

American  

[kwot-roh] / ˈkwɒt roʊ /

Or quatro

noun

plural

cuatros

1. a small guitar with four or five strings or pairs of strings, used in Latin American and Caribbean music.

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Etymology

Origin of cuatro

First recorded in 1900–05; from Latin American Spanish, Spanish: literally, “four”; see origin at four ( def. )

Example Sentences

The concerto also featured solos on the Venezuelan cuatro by Héctor Molina, but his name was only announced last minute, due to current travel uncertainty.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

She learned how to play the cuatro from her father, whose family took refuge in Venezuela during the Spanish Civil War.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2025

La historia contaba que se lo había cortado Ferdinand Hiller, un compositor de 15 años y ferviente admirador que visitó a Beethoven cuatro veces antes de morir.

From New York Times • Mar. 23, 2023

El principal vehículo para alcanzar sus objetivos es el Plan Biorregional, que desarrollaron a lo largo de cuatro años con el apoyo de sabios de las comunidades amazónicas y de científicos internacionales de talla mundial.

From Scientific American • Nov. 12, 2022

A group of men showed up with a cuatro, a guitar, maracas, and güiros.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago