: 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.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThe quintet posed for a photo that was posted to the Timbers’ social media Wednesday.oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2022 Since the quintet’s start in late 2018, the group have found an unprecedented amount of local attention, online interest and day-to-day exhaustion in pushing the country’s current pop renaissance to international borders. Jeff Benjamin, Billboard, 7 Sep. 2022 The quintet enjoys middling success performing cover songs around Detroit until a chance encounter with Berry Gordy (Antwaun Holley) in a bathroom.cleveland, 14 July 2022 In their rookie seasons, that quintet averaged 28.8 receptions, 410 yards and 2.0 touchdowns. Rob Reischel, Forbes, 7 July 2022 Closing out their main set at the Budweiser Stage, the quintet brought out Drake, who told the audience a story about why the 1999 hit single means so much to him. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2022 Once again, this quintet made Denver head coach Michael Malone’s head spin. Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 18 Apr. 2022 That quintet was outscored by 26.4 points per 100 possessions with a hilariously pathetic offensive rating of 83.3 and a defensive rating of 109.7. Rahat Huq, Chron, 28 Mar. 2022 The last variation ends with a cyclic return to the opening of the quintet, and McGill was able here to communicate, with the same material, a new and final solemnity. Lukas Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
quintet from Italian quintetto, from quinto fifth, from Latin quintus; quintette from French, from Italian quintetto