quatrain

noun

qua·​train ˈkwä-ˌtrān How to pronounce quatrain (audio)
kwä-ˈtrān
: a unit or group of four lines of verse

Examples of quatrain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Written as a series of poetic quatrains (stanzas of four lines each), Nostradamus organized his predictions into 10 groups of 100 quatrains (give or take). Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 25 Dec. 2023 The five-character quatrain, which rose to prominence during the Tang dynasty, has four lines consisting of five characters each. Olivia Wang, New York Times, 14 July 2023 This second quatrain shows the progress made by a model that has nearly finished its training. IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2020 The poem’s tercets evoke an uneasy balance, until the fourth stanza, where a quatrain appears, suspending time for just a little bit longer, like those who leaped from the burning floors. New York Times, 8 Sep. 2022 This week: Write a quatrain or — heck — two of Balliol rhyme about some person. Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2020 The three quatrains develop an idea or theme, and the final couplet puts forth a conclusion, a summary, an application, a narrowing of focus or even a surprise reversal. Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Sep. 2019 There’s a quatrain of film adaptation news this week. Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, 24 May 2019 This example stitches poem (identified by the frame of quatrains) to prose (identified by the four lines inhabited by Absence). Lauren Russell, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quatrain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle French, from quatre four, from Latin quattuor

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of quatrain was in 1584

Dictionary Entries Near quatrain

Cite this Entry

“Quatrain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quatrain. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

quatrain

noun
qua·​train ˈkwä-ˌtrān How to pronounce quatrain (audio)
: a unit or group of four lines of verse

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