[f. QUADRUPLE + -ET; after triplet.]
1. pl. Four children born at a birth.
1787. Garthshore, in Phil. Trans., LXXVII. 355. These are the only cases of quadruplets, or any large number, he had ever heard of, as born in Scotland, in his memory.
1836–9. Todd, Cycl. Anat., II. 736/1. An instance of quadruplets consisting of three boys and a girl.
1898. Daily News, 15 April, 5/2. Huller ventured on the assertion … that quadruplets were born once in 20,000 cases.
2. Any combination of four things or parts united or working together, esp. four combined springs (Knight, Dict. Mech., Suppl.).
1852. De Morgan, in Graves, Life Hamilton (1889), III. 338. We have then an harmonic quadruplet and sextuplet, and we might have octuplets, &c.
3. A bicycle for four riders. Cf. QUAD sb.3 Also attrib.
1895. Daily News, 27 July, 5/3. Professional riders on tandems, triplets, and quadruplets.
1897. Whitaker’s Alm., 641/2. A quadruplet team covered a flying quarter in 25.2 secs.
