cinquain (n.)

"collection of five," 1711, from French cinquain "bundle of five objects," from cinq "five" (from PIE root *penkwe- "five"). Originally in English of military orders of battle (five battalions drawn up in three lines); of five-lined stanzas of verse from 1882 (give a more specific form in English than usual in French).

updated on December 10, 2017