quatrefoil en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Old French quatrefoil, from quatre (“four”) + foil (“leaf”).
Meanings
-
A symmetrical shape that forms the overall outline of four partially-overlapping circles of the same diameter.
It was a narrow, gravelled island we had to lie on, guarded by glazed brick chimneys and, running along the sides, a prickly little gothic fence of iron finials and terracotta quatrefoils.
1988, Alan Hollinghurst, The Swimming-Pool Library, paperback edition, London: Penguin Books, →ISBN, page 142:
- A stylized flower or leaf with four lobes.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| quadrefoil | alternative | lexicographic | |
| quatrefoils | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| quarterfoil | alternative, archaic | lexicographic | |
| quaterfoil | alternative, archaic | lexicographic |
Coordinates
octofoil · trefoil · cinquefoil · multifoil · hexafoil · sexfoil · polyfoil
Relateds
quadrofoil · quatrefoliated · quadrifoliate · rosette · quadrifoil · quincunx · mandorla · quadrifoliolate
Translations (6)
bg четирилистник (shape) · mi pewawhā (shape) · fi nelilehti (shape) · it quattrofoglie (shape) · fr quatrefeuille (shape) · de Vierpass (shape)