What does sextuplet mean?
Sextuplet most commonly denotes one of six children born in a single birth, although the plural sextuplets can also refer to the six children collectively. The word has a technical sense in music as well: a tuplet or rapid group of six notes, normally fitted into the time occupied by four. More broadly, it can mean any group or set of six, though sextet is often more idiomatic for six performers. In birth reports, sextuplets is a factual term commonly used with phrases such as one of and identical. In musical notation, it is a specialist term distinguished from an ordinary sextet of players. The word is useful because it combines the ideas of a set of six and, in its best-known usage, one member of six simultaneous newborns in a compact and precise noun.
nounOne of six children born at the same time; also, more generally, a group or set of six or a tuplet consisting of six musical notes.
- One of six children born at the same time.
- A group or set of six people or things.
- A musical tuplet consisting of six notes, commonly played in the time normally occupied by four.
"The article profiled a sextuplet who had spent her first weeks in neonatal care."
"Each of the sextuplets was named after a member of the medical team who helped deliver them."
"The pianist's right hand played a rapid sextuplet before the melody resumed."
The plural can refer collectively to six children born at the same time or, with a determiner, to individual members of that group.
"One of the sextuplets later became a violinist."
Sextuplets are exceptionally rare in life, but in music a sextuplet can send six notes racing through the time normally occupied by four.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sextuplet come from?
Sextuplet was borrowed into English in the nineteenth century from French sextuplet. Its ultimate source is Latin, where sex means “six,” the root also underlying related forms such as sextet and sextuple. Its formation parallels triplet, quadruplet, and quintuplet, in which -plet forms a group or associated set of the stated number.
Related word forms
How sextuplet is actually used
The word is factual and relatively uncommon, appearing mainly in birth reports, music notation, and formal descriptions of groups of six. In general speech, sextet is often preferred when referring to six performers.
Easily confused with sextuplet
A sextuplet can be one of six children born at the same time or a tuplet of six notes, whereas a sextet normally denotes a group of six performers or a composition for six.