Quadruple

How to spell quadruple

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce quadruple

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does quadruple mean?

1. verbTo make or become four times as great or as many.
2. adjectiveConsisting of four parts or being four times as large or as many.

Quadruple in a sentence

• verb

  The company expects revenue to quadruple within five years.

• adjective

  The engine relies on a quadruple filtration system for clean fuel.

• verb

  Adding the new wing will quadruple the floor space of the warehouse.

• adjective

  She earned a quadruple bonus for closing four major accounts.

Where does quadruple come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Quadruple comes from the Latin quadruplus, meaning 'fourfold', which was assembled from quadri-, the combining form of quattuor 'four', and -plus, an element meaning 'fold' or 'times' that also lies behind 'double', 'triple', and the simpler 'plus'. The 'four' element shows up across English in a family of related words such as 'quarter', 'quadrant', 'quadrangle', and 'square', all carrying the sense of four. English took the word in through Old French quadruple during the late 1400s, first as an adjective for something multiplied by four and soon afterwards as a verb. The spelling trap sits in that opening 'qua-' followed by the 'dru' cluster: the silent-feeling middle and the 'qu' for the 'kw' sound are where confident writers slip. Remembering the shared 'quadr-' of 'quadrant' helps anchor the four spelling.

How the word is built

• quadr- (four)
• -uple (-fold, from Latin -plus)