quatrefoil
1
9.6
- noun
- /ˈkwɑːtrəˌfɔɪl/
- Specialized
:
cuatrifolio
- Look there." He pointed to a spot at the entrance of the cave in the picture, where Peregrine's pencil strokes had come together, apparently at random, to form a curious glyph, like a quatrefoil knot of spidery lines.
Examples
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She admired the quatrefoil shape of the stained glass window, which depicted four interconnected leaves.
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The space between the vent hood and the ceiling above the stove gets visual interest courtesy of a mirror with a quatrefoil design.
Blog text (8) -
By using the quatrefoil with its association to the four elements, windows, flowers in general, or lotus in particular, Gimblett convokes the vital forces and archetypal transcendence of the human psyche.
Blog text (32) -
The new cafe features a beautiful quatrefoil design on the walls, adding a touch of elegance to the space.
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The garden was decorated with quatrefoil-shaped flower beds, creating a unique and attractive landscape.
How Ornate
Surface Forms
Morphology
quatrefoil = foil (semi-transparent) = quatre + foil
The element 'quatre' corresponds to 'four' but is a borrowed French numeral not common as a productive English prefix, while 'foil' has a specialized architectural sense; learners may partially guess the meaning.
Etymology
Quatrefoil comes from French quatre ('four') and Latin folium ('leaf'), and it literally means 'four leaves', so picture a four-leaf clover or a flower with four rounded leaves. That's why a quatrefoil is a decorative shape with four rounded parts often used in windows, gates, and carvings.