quadrifoiladj.n.
/ˈkwɒdrᵻfɔɪl/, U.S. /ˈkwɑdrəˌfɔɪl/ A. adj.
Having four lobes, or a four-lobed pattern.
ΚΠ
1789 J. Berkenhout Synopsis Nat. Hist. Great Brit. & Irel. II. 191 Echinus... Foliatus [sc. heart urchin]. Heart-shaped, quadrifoil; above purple; studded.
1881 Amer. Jrnl. Math. 4 368 Besides the two straight double lines on the surface there are two other double lines whose projections are of a quadrifoil shape.
1946 Art Bull. 28 124/2 The chapter on architecture summarizes the principal data; the vaulted basilica; the niche-buttressed square; the trefoil, quadrifoil and multifoil plan; [etc.].
1977 T. Naff & R. Owen Stud. 18th Cent. Islamic Hist. 307 Despite the quadrifoil upper structure, the prayer hall is slightly longer than it is wide, because it has an additional lateral strip of space at the back.
2004 Times (Nexis) 12 Apr. (Features section) 24 In the Isle of Man government notes have carried for many years a small quadrifoil symbol on them in the corner.
B. n.
Originally: a plant having four leaves arising from a single point. Later: a figure, often used decoratively, representing or resembling this shape; a structure having four lobes. Cf. quatrefoil n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > flower or part containing reproductive organs > flower or flowering plant > [noun] > characterized by parts > characterized by petals
cinque-petal1715
quadrifoil1845
polypetal1882
1845 Ld. Campbell Lives Chancellors I. xiii. 226 The scholar..stuffs his volume with firstling violets, roses, and quadrifoils.
1919 Burlington Mag. Dec. 249/1 South wall.—Two rows of quadrifoils, with scenes, I believe, from the lives of S. Anne and S. Catherine.
1963 Artibus Asiae 26 181 The space between the animals is decorated with bi-, tri-, and quadrifoils, a crescent, and dots.
1987 Classical Rev. 37 87 Grossmann discusses the two churches of Abu Mena (quadrifoils within an outer wall).
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1789