Cinqfoil

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A low-growing plant bearing leaves or flowers divided into five lobes ; a decorative five-lobed motif used in Gothic tracery and architecture
2. Any herb with five-parted foliage or blossoms ; an ornamental shape of five arcs found in medieval window and wall decoration
3. A wild herb whose leaves are cut into five segments ; a five-lobed decorative figure carved into Gothic architectural designs

Etymology: "Cinqfoil" is simply an alternative spelling of "cinquefoil," and the plant name is a compound built from two French words meaning "five" and "leaf." The first element, "cinq," is the French numeral for five, descended from Latin "quinque," while "foil" comes from the Old French word for leaf, which is also the source of the English "foliage." The name describes the plant's most noticeable feature: its leaves, which are divided into five lobes, arranged like the fingers of a hand. The same five-lobed pattern appears in the heraldic and architectural motif of the same name, where a shape with five rounded petals decorates tracery in Gothic windows and carvings, so the plant name and the design share one visual idea.