cinquain

[ sing-keyn, sing-keyn ]
/ sɪŋˈkeɪn, ˈsɪŋ keɪn /

noun

a group of five.
Prosody.
  1. a short poem consisting of five, usually unrhymed lines containing, respectively, two, four, six, eight, and two syllables.
  2. any stanza of five lines.

Origin of cinquain

1705–15; < French < Late Latin cinque (see cinque) + French -ain collective suffix. See quatrain

British Dictionary definitions for cinquain

cinquain
/ (sɪŋˈkeɪn, ˈsɪŋkeɪn) /

noun

a stanza of five lines

Word Origin for cinquain

C18 (in the sense: a military company of five): from French cinq five, from Latin quinque; compare quatrain