quincunx
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin quīncunx.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkwɪŋkʌŋks/
- IPA(key): /ˈkwɪnkʌŋks/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ʌŋks
Noun
quincunx (plural quincunxes or quincunces)
- An arrangement of five units with four forming the corners of a square and the fifth at the centre of the square, a pattern corresponding to the five-spot on dice, playing cards, or dominoes.
- (astrology) An angle of five-twelfths of a circle, or 150°, between two objects. [from 1647]
- A Galton board.
- 1998, Deborah J. Bennett, Randomness, Harvard University Press, p. 104
- In 1873–74 Sir Francis Galton (Charles Darwin’s cousin) designed an apparatus that he later named the quincunx.
- 1998, Deborah J. Bennett, Randomness, Harvard University Press, p. 104
- (historical, numismatics) A bronze coin minted during the Roman Republic, valued at five-twelfths of an as. [from 1545]
Derived terms
- quincuncial
Translations
arrangement of five units
|
angle of five-twelfths of a circle
|
coin — see coin
Further reading
- quincunx on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Latin
Etymology
quīnque + uncia, literally 'five twelfths' in reference to a coin issued by the Roman Republic c. 211–200 BC, featuring a 5-dot pattern. Its value was five twelfths (quinque and uncia) of an as, the Roman standard bronze coin.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈkʷiːn.kuːnks/, [ˈkʷiːŋkuːŋks̠]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈkwin.kunks/, [ˈkwiŋkuŋks]
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈkʷiːn.kunks/, [ˈkʷiːŋkʊŋks̠]
- (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈkwin.kunks/, [ˈkwiŋkuŋks][1]
Because of Osthoff's Law, the length of the vowel in the second syllable is uncertain; see the note at uncia.
Noun
quīncū̆nx m (genitive quīncū̆ncis); third declension
- five twelfths
- the five on a die
Declension
Third-declension noun (i-stem).
Case | Singular | Plural |
---|---|---|
Nominative | quīncū̆nx | quīncū̆ncēs |
Genitive | quīncū̆ncis | quīncū̆ncium |
Dative | quīncū̆ncī | quīncū̆ncibus |
Accusative | quīncū̆ncem | quīncū̆ncēs quīncū̆ncīs |
Ablative | quīncū̆nce | quīncū̆ncibus |
Vocative | quīncū̆nx | quīncū̆ncēs |
Descendants
- English: quincunx
- French: quinconce
- German: Quinkunx
- Spanish: quincunce
References
- “quincunx”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- “quincunx”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- quincunx in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
- Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
- 5 per cent: quincunx (Pers. 5. 149)
- 5 per cent: quincunces usurae
- 5 per cent: quincunx (Pers. 5. 149)
- “quincunx”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
- “quincunx”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
- Sayeed, Ollie (01 Jan 2017) "Osthoff’s Law in Latin", in Indo-European Linguistics, Volume 5, Issue 1, page 156