Cinquefoil

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈsɪŋk.fɔɪl/

Definitions

1. A type of plant characterized by leaves or flowers divided into five parts ; a stylized emblem in heraldry shaped with five rounded lobes or petals
2. Any member of a group of flowering plants known for their five-parted foliage or blossoms ; a decorative figure used in coats of arms featuring five petals
3. A flowering plant species noted for having five distinct leaflets or floral sections ; a traditional heraldic design representing five petals arranged symmetrically

Etymology: Cinquefoil is a compound built from two plain French-derived parts: "cinq," meaning five, and "foil," meaning leaf. The name describes the plant's most visible feature, a flower or leaf divided into five parts, and it passed into English from Old French "cinqfoil." The shape was so easily recognised that it became a fixed heraldic device, a five-petalled figure drawn on shields and in decorative design. The word's meaning therefore runs in two directions at once. The plant name is literal, a description of what the eye sees, while the heraldic sense takes the same five-part pattern and removes it from any plant altogether. A coat of arms could carry a cinquefoil without anyone thinking of a garden.

Synonyms: five-finger, potentilla