quadrille

¹ American  

[kwo-dril, kwuh-, kuh-] / kwɒˈdrɪl, kwə-, kə- /

noun

1. a square dance for four couples, consisting of five parts or movements, each complete in itself.

2. the music for such a dance.

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quadrille ² American  

[kwo-dril, kwuh-, kuh-] / kwɒˈdrɪl, kwə-, kə- /

noun

1. a card game played by four persons.

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quadrille ³ American  

[kwo-dril, kwuh-, kuh-] / kwɒˈdrɪl, kwə-, kə- /

adjective

1. ruled in squares, as graph paper.

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quadrille ¹ British  

/ kwə-, kwɒˈdrɪl /

noun

1. a square dance of five or more figures for four or more couples

2. a piece of music for such a dance, alternating between simple duple and compound duple time

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quadrille ² British  

/ kwə-, kwɒˈdrɪl /

noun

1. an old card game for four players

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Etymology

Origin of quadrille¹

First recorded in 1770–80; from French: “group of riders in a tournament; one of the four groups of dancers in a quadrille,” from Spanish cuadrilla “company, troop,” diminutive of cuadra “square, battle square,” from Latin quadra “side of a square; quadrant”

Origin of quadrille²

First recorded in 1720–30; an extended sense of quadrille ¹ ( def. )

Origin of quadrille³

First recorded in 1855–60; from French quadrillé, from quadrille, a kind of diamond-shaped stitch in needlework, from Spanish cuadrillo “a small square”; quadrille ¹

Example Sentences

The mazurka - derived from a Polish musical form - and contradança from the British quadrille dance.

From BBC

It seemed the entire chorus of The Nutcracker would hum a selection of Viennese waltzes and quadrilles and gallops.

From Literature

Many sections resemble contredanse or quadrille: ballroom arrangements of circles, lines, stars; dancers holding hands as they pass.

From New York Times

The room features holographic-type images of eight dancers in period dress performing a dance called a quadrille to the sounds of La Traviata.

From BBC

The image of the British aristocracy wading through muddy quadrilles is irresistible.

From New York Times