cadre

Cadre came into English from French cadre, which was borrowed from Italian quadro, meaning a framed painting or a square. That Italian word traces back to Latin quadrum, itself rooted in quattuor, the Latin word for four.

The word began by describing a literal frame or square shape, the kind that borders a painting. From there it came to mean a structural outline or framework, and eventually the core group of people who form the 'frame' or backbone of an organization.

It shares its deepest root, Latin quattuor ('four'), with English words like 'quadrant' and 'quart' — a nod to the four-sided square hiding inside the idea of a frame.