Etymograph

English

cuadrilla

Cuadrilla comes from Spanish cuadrilla ‘team’, from cuadro ‘square’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwṓr1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷettwōr1‘four’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquattuor1‘four’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrus1‘square’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrō1‘to make four-cornered, square, make square’uncertain
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrum1‘square’
  7. Spanishc. 1500–presentcuadro1‘square’
  8. Spanishc. 1500–presentcuadrilla2‘team’
  9. Englishtodaycuadrilla2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Spanish cuadrilla
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English cuadrilla

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷetwṓrWiktionary, Spanish cuadrillareconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kʷettwōrWiktionary, Spanish cuadrilla‘four’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquattuorWiktionary, Spanish cuadrilla‘four’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrusWiktionary, Spanish cuadrilla‘square’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrōWiktionary, Spanish cuadrilla‘to make four-cornered, square, make square’uncertain
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEquadrumWiktionary, Spanish cuadrilla‘square’
  7. Spanishc. 1500–presentcuadroWiktionary, Spanish cuadrilla‘square’
  8. Spanishc. 1500–presentcuadrillaWiktionary, English cuadrilla‘team’
  9. EnglishtodaycuadrillaWiktionary, English cuadrilla

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr

four, 26 more

through Latin quattuor ‘four’

cater, quadruple, quatre, quatrain, cuatro, 24 more

through Latin quadrus ‘square’

squadron, 10 more

through Latin quadrō ‘to make four-cornered, square, make square’

square, squad, quarry, quadrant, quadratic, quadra, 7 more

through Latin quadrum ‘square’

cadre

through Spanish cuadrilla ‘team’

quadrille

Today it means

noun The team which supports the matador.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “cuadrilla”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Spanish cuadrilla. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwṓr / cuadrilla

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