quintet

noun

quin·​tet kwin-ˈtet 

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

One of the highlights of the festival is the live performances by esteemed artists, including Kevin Morby and the pop quintet MisterWives, alongside talents like Bailen and SHAED. —Quincy Green, Billboard, 16 May 2024

But the likes of Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Anthony Rizzo and other bonafide big leaguers awaited the quintet. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2024

Opry cast member quintet the Oak Ridge Boys, has died from complications of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. —Marcus K. Dowling, USA TODAY, 9 July 2024

The quintet spent a month writing Romance and nearly another month in a North London studio doing pre-production. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 4 July 2024

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

Kids Definition

quintet

noun

quin·​tet kwin-ˈtet 

1

a

: a musical composition for five instruments or voices

b

: the performers of a quintet

2

: a group or set of five