Saturday Word: Quatrefoil

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

quat·re·foil [ˈka-tər-ˌfȯi(-ə)l] or [kăt′rə-ˌfȯi(-ə)l]:
origin: [1500's] Anglo-French; quatre= four + -foil= leaves.

noun
A fanciful pattern, often found in fashion or architecture, resembling a four-leaf clover or flower (the lobes reticent of leaves or petals): an image at once subtle & bold. Such patterns are found in medieval designs of crests and shields, yet still appear on modern objects like diaper bags or gift-wrapping paper.




Are there quatrefoils in your life?
*images welcome

Comments

[calzephyr77.livejournal.com]

I knew there was a name for those things!

[theidolhands.livejournal.com]

I don't like the pronunciation though, I'd prefer "Kwa" to "Cat" as the beginning sound; it's spelled like "Quarter", though not pronounced like it. Weird.

[prettygoodword.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it looks like it ought to have been fully anglicized by now.

---L.