cuatro

American  

[kwot-roh] / ˈkwɒt roʊ /

Or quatro

noun

plural

cuatros

1. a small guitar with four or five strings or pairs of strings, used in Latin American and Caribbean music.

---

Etymology

Origin of cuatro

First recorded in 1900–05; from Latin American Spanish, Spanish: literally, “four”; see origin at four ( def. )

Example Sentences

The concerto also featured solos on the Venezuelan cuatro by Héctor Molina, but his name was only announced last minute, due to current travel uncertainty.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

And with the fluttering strums of a cuatro venezolano in “Joropo,” she called attention to the South American folkloric genre of the same name.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2025

Al seguir excavando, los investigadores encontraron 13 vértebras en total, junto con cuatro costillas y parte de una pelvis.

From New York Times • Aug. 12, 2023

La historia contaba que se lo había cortado Ferdinand Hiller, un compositor de 15 años y ferviente admirador que visitó a Beethoven cuatro veces antes de morir.

From New York Times • Mar. 23, 2023

A group of men showed up with a cuatro, a guitar, maracas, and güiros.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago