Quintupling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of elevating a figure to five times its initial value The action of expanding a quantity to achieve fivefold growth A scenario in which a numerical amount multiplies to reach five times its former size
2. The act of raising a number or quantity to five times what it was before
3. The process by which a certain measure or count grows to be multiplied by five

Etymology: "Quintupling" is the present participle of "quintuple," so the story belongs to the adjective and verb it comes from. That base word was borrowed into English from Middle French "quintuple," which in turn came from Latin "quīntuplus." The Latin pairs "quīntus," meaning "fifth," with the suffix "-plus," the same element found in "duplus" (double) and "triplus" (triple). The "-plus" ending comes from a root meaning "to fold," so a quintuple quantity is literally a fifth-folded one. The participle form is simply the verb "quintuple" with the "-ing" ending added, so it describes the act of multiplying something by five. The word follows the same pattern as "double" and "triple," each built on a Latin number plus a multiplying suffix, which is why English has a whole family of these words that share the same structure.

Synonyms: fivefold increase