septets

Meanings

1. 1nounpluralmusic

   Pieces of music written for seven players or singers.

   Grammar: Plural of septet: one septet, two septets.

   Patterns

   • septets by a composer
   • septets for strings

   Beethoven wrote one of the best-known septets in classical music.

   The festival programme includes two septets for strings and winds.

   Few composers wrote septets, so they are rarely performed.

2. 2nounpluralmusic

   Groups of seven performers who play or sing together.

   Grammar: Plural; the group is a septet.

   Patterns

   • septets of musicians

   Two septets shared the stage at the jazz club.

   The school formed septets from its best singers.

   Local septets competed in the chamber music contest.

3. 3nounpluralrare

   Any sets of seven things or people.

   Grammar: Less common, general sense.

   Patterns

   • septets of something

   The poem is written in septets, or stanzas of seven lines.

   The scientist arranged the samples in septets.

   The game divides the players into septets.

Word forms

Common combinations

septets for strings

She composed septets for strings and flute.

jazz septets

Jazz septets can sound as full as a big band.

play in septets

The musicians play in septets at weddings.

classical septets

Classical septets are less common than quartets.

Synonyms and how they differ

sevensomes

Sevensomes is a rare word for groups of seven and sounds odd outside games or humor.

heptads

Heptads is a formal word for groups of seven in math and science.

ensembles

Ensembles is a general word for groups of performers of any size.

Word family

septet noun

a group of seven or music for seven

septuplet noun

one of seven babies born together

quartet noun

a group of four

septennial adjective

happening every seven years

Commonly confused: septets or septum? septets or sextets?

Practice

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