quintet
UK[kwɪnˈtet]US[kwɪnˈtet]
n
a group of five people who play music or sing together
n
a piece of music written for five performers
Morpheme Breakdown
quint
et
quint
five
et
small group
Etymology
the word quintet entered english in the early 19th century from french 'quintette', which itself was borrowed from italian 'quintetto'. the italian term is built upon 'quinto', meaning 'fifth', derived from the latin ordinal number 'quintus'. the suffix '-etto' (french '-ette', english '-et') is a diminutive, commonly used to form nouns denoting a small group or a compact version of something. therefore, the literal construction "a small group based on five" evolved specifically in the context of western classical music to denote a composition for five instruments or voices, or the ensemble performing it, perfectly capturing its structured yet intimate nature.
Analysis
Structure: quint (five) + et (small group)
quint is from latin 'quintus', meaning 'fifth'. et is a diminutive suffix of french origin, indicating a small or compact group.
Examples
the jazz quintet performed a stunning set at the festival.
he composed a brass quintet for two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba.
the famous string quintet features an extra viola added to the standard quartet.