quincunx

[ kwing-kuhngks, kwin- ]
/ ˈkwɪŋ kʌŋks, ˈkwɪn- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR quincunx ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Botany. an overlapping arrangement of five petals or leaves, in which two are interior, two are exterior, and one is partly interior and partly exterior.

Origin of quincunx

1640–50; < Latin: five twelfths ( quinc-, variant of quīnque- quinque- + uncia twelfth; see ounce1); originally a Roman coin worth five twelfths of an as and marked with a quincunx of spots

Words nearby quincunx

quincentenary, quincentennial, quincke's disease, quincke's pulse, quincuncial, quincunx, quincy, quindecagon, quindecaplet, quindecennial, quindecillion

Words related to quincunx

cinquefoil, pentangle, pentagram, quintuple, lustrum, cinque, quinquennium, pentacle, quintuplet, pentagon, limerick, pentad, quinquennial, quintuplicate

Example sentences from the Web for quincunx

British Dictionary definitions for quincunx

quincunx
/ (ˈkwɪnkʌŋks) /

noun

a group of five objects arranged in the shape of a rectangle with one at each of the four corners and the fifth in the centre
botany a quincuncial arrangement of sepals or petals in the bud
astrology an aspect of 150° between two planets

Word Origin for quincunx

C17: from Latin: five twelfths, from quinque five + uncia twelfth; in ancient Rome, this was a coin worth five twelfths of an as ² and marked with five spots