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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This quatrain is a tightly carpentered box, carefully packed and built to withstand catastrophe. — A.o. Scott, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025 The thundering poet termed the result uninspired and banal, so the other professor went into Dickinson’s 1,800-poem corpus, retrieved an obscure quatrain and presented it to the poet, who called the result banal and uninspired. — David Galef, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2025

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

Rhymes for quatrain

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Cite this Entry

“Quatrain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quatrain. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

quatrain

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

More from Merriam-Webster on quatrain

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about quatrain

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