Cinque

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /sɪŋk/

Definitions

1. Refers to the number five, especially used in Italian or in historical writings
2. Denotes the quantity five as expressed in Italian language or classical texts
3. Specifies the numeral five, commonly appearing in Italian or archaic settings

Etymology: Five is a number that has travelled through many tongues, and "cinque" is one of its oldest English-facing forms. It came into English from Middle French "cinq", which descends from Latin "cīnque", a variant of "quīnque". The same Latin root gave English a surprising family of relatives: "fin", an old slang term for a five-unit banknote, along with "finnuf", "pimp" (in the sense of the number five), "punch" as in the beverage, and "ponzu", the Japanese citrus sauce, which owes its name to the five ingredients traditionally mixed into it. The spelling is less settled than the sound. Modern French "cinq" is pronounced with a silent final consonant, which explains the older English pronunciation /sæŋk/ that rhymes with "tank". The spelling "cinque" with its final "e" most likely draws on Italian "cinque", which keeps the same Latin base, though it may also be a misspelling of the French form.

Synonyms: five