1 quincuncial | Definition of quincuncial
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quincunx

noun
quin·​cunx | \ ˈkwin-ËŒkəŋ(k)s How to pronounce quincunx (audio) \

Definition of quincunx

: an arrangement of five things in a square or rectangle with one at each corner and one in the middle
Other Words from quincunx Give Me Five for Quincunx Learn More about quincunx

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Other Words from quincunx

quincuncial \ kwin-​ˈkÉ™n(t)-​shÉ™l How to pronounce quincuncial (audio) \ or quincunxial \ kwin-​ˈkəŋk-​sÄ“-​É™l How to pronounce quincunxial (audio) \ adjective

Give Me Five for Quincunx

In ancient Rome, a quincunx was a coin with a weight equal to five twelfths of a libra, a unit of weight similar to our pound. The coin's name comes from the Latin roots quinque, meaning "five," and uncia, meaning "one twelfth."  The ancients used a pattern of five dots arranged like the pips on a die as a symbol for the coin, and English speakers applied the word to arrangements similar to that distinctive five-dot mark.

First Known Use of quincunx

1545, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for quincunx

Latin quincunc-, quincunx, literally, five twelfths, from quinque five + uncia twelfth part — more at five, ounce

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