quatrefoil

[ kat-er-foil, ka-truh- ]

noun
  1. a leaf composed of four leaflets.

  2. Architecture. a panellike ornament composed of four lobes, divided by cusps, radiating from a common center.

Origin of quatrefoil

1
1375–1425; Middle English <Middle French quatre four + -foil (as in trefoil)

Other words from quatrefoil

  • quat·re·foiled, adjective

Words Nearby quatrefoil

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How to use quatrefoil in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quatrefoil

quatrefoil

/ (ˈkætrəˌfɔɪl) /


noun
  1. a leaf composed of four leaflets

  2. architect a carved ornament having four foils arranged about a common centre, esp one used in tracery

Origin of quatrefoil

1
C15: from Old French, from quatre four + -foil leaflet; compare trefoil

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