Noun
One of four children born at the same birth; a quadruplet.
Usage- Obsolete
- Rare
- Examples
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Every 67th lying-in woman has twins, every 5333rd has trillings, and only every 150,000th has fourlings.
More examples (2)
this breed is prominent for its remarkable fecundity and yield of milk; as a rule, this goat litters once a year and drops 2 kids; occasionally trillings and fourlings.
If the two or the four first cells into which the animal ovum divides during the process of so-called cleavage be separated from one another, then each of these cells grows into a small but complete organism. Conversely, if two ova be caused to amalgamate with parallel axes, the result is a "giant". What is the meaning of this? It is, that the material which, if left undisturbed, would have grown into one, can grow into many-into twins or into fourlings. And similarly the material destined for many may furnish one only.
A compound or twin crystal consisting of four individuals.