quadrennial

adjective

qua·dren·ni·al kwä-ˈdre-nē-əl

: consisting of or lasting for four years

: occurring or being done every four years

quadrennial noun

quadrennially

kwä-ˈdre-nē-ə-lē

adverb

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Most things quadrennial occur every four years (that's the more common use). We can say, for example, that the U.S. presidential election is a quadrennial event. But we can also say that president's term in office is quadrennial, making good use of the "lasting four years" sense. The Latin combining form quadri- adds a factor of four to many English words: quadriceps (the thigh muscle, which has four parts), quadrilateral (a four-sided polygon), quadragenarian (a person in his or her 40s), and quadricentennial (a 400th anniversary), to name a few. The -ennial part of quadrennial has the same root as in biennial and centennial; all trace back to annus, the Latin word for "year."

Examples of quadrennial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On one of those trips, in May 2017, the document said, Jones directed a 14-person entourage — including five members of his family — to attend the quadrennial convention of that union, all on the Boilermakers’ dime. —

Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2024 Officials noted this is similar to what occurred in 2020, when Mr. Biden and Harris had to be nominated virtually after the pandemic severely curtailed the meetings of the party's quadrennial convention. —

Ed O'Keefe, CBS News, 28 May 2024 First, the Olympics are a quadrennial event, which only temporarily gives some individual athletes a large platform to compete and show their prowess, despite needing to train and sacrifice in between those years. —

Ira Porter, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 May 2024 Eight years ago, the last time the Republican National Convention was held in-person, Cleveland hosted the more than 40,000 delegates, politicians, journalists and others who descended on the city for the quadrennial event. —

Sarah Volpenhein, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for quadrennial

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quadrennial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.