quadri-

American  

1. a combining form meaning “four,” used in the formation of compound words.

   quadrilateral.

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quadri- British  

combining form

1. four

   quadrilateral

   quadrilingual

   quadrisyllabic

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Usage

What does quadri- mean? Quadri- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “four.” It is used in a great variety of technical and scientific terms. Quadri- comes from the Latin quattuor, meaning “four.” The Greek equivalent is tetra-, which also appears as tetr-, as in tetrahedron. Want to know more? Check out our Words That Use entries for tetr- and tetra-. What are variants of quadri-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, quadri- becomes quadr-, as in quadric. In other instances, quadri- becomes quadra-, as in quadraphony. Before some labial consonants (such as -p- or -f-), quadri- becomes quadru-, as in quadruplex, which uses the Latin equivalent of the form. Want to learn more? Check out our Words That Use entries for quadr-, quadra-, and quadru-.

Etymology

Origin of quadri-

< Latin; akin to quattuor four