quintet

noun

quin·​tet kwin-ˈtet How to pronounce quintet (audio)
1
: a musical composition or movement for five instruments or voices
2
: a group or set of five: such as
a
: the performers of a quintet
b
: a basketball team

Did you know?

A classical quintet is usually written for strings (usually two violins, two violas, and a cello) or woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn), but brass quintets (two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba) have also become popular in North America recently. In jazz, Miles Davis led two famous quintets. In pop music, the Miracles, the Temptations, and the Jackson 5 were immensely popular vocal quintets. In rock, one of the most common instrumental lineups has been a quintet consisting of two guitars, a bass, a keyboard, and drums; famous rock quintets have included the Grateful Dead and the Beach Boys.

Examples of quintet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For about six months, Phish was a quintet—then Holdsworth quit. Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025 Backstreet Boys Dates: July 11-13; July 18-20; July 25-27; Aug. 1-3; Aug. 8-10; Aug. 15-17 Time: 8 p.m. What to expect: Another first for the Sphere in 2025 is the debut of its first pop act, the ’90s quintet whose popularity has aged well and with a multigenerational fan base. Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025 Of that quintet, GT/109 is the only one that competed in the legendary French endurance classic. Howard Walker, Robb Report, 24 Mar. 2025 That Herro/Adebayo/Mitchell/Wiggins/Ware quintet shaved only one point off the Heat’s 15-point halftime deficit in their 7:01 together to start the third quarter. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for quintet

Word History

Etymology

quintet from Italian quintetto, from quinto fifth, from Latin quintus; quintette from French, from Italian quintetto

First Known Use

1764, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of quintet was in 1764

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Cite this Entry

“Quintet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quintet. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

quintet

noun
quin·​tet kwin-ˈtet How to pronounce quintet (audio)
1
a
: a musical composition for five instruments or voices
b
: the performers of a quintet
2
: a group or set of five

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