cinque Italian · revision 37845

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=1211, Florentine account book|origins=ine-pro *pénkʷe}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈt͡ʃin.kwe/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''cinque''' (invariable; also used as a masculine noun, and in the feminine plural for the hours: ''le cinque'')^(Wiktionary)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ Old Italian also had ''cénque'', ''cìnqua'' and ''cinche''.^(GDLI)^(DEI|948)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-vul|*cīnque]], [[inh|la|quīnque|t=five]], with the first /kʷ/ dissimilated to /k/ before the second.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto 1968) The dissimilated form is already written in late Latin inscriptions.^(DEI|948) The same word is found across the Romance languages: [[fr|cinq]], [[oc|cinc]], [[ca|cinc]], [[es|cinco]], [[pt|cinco]], [[sc|chimbe]] and [[ro|cinci]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935)

+

+ Like the other basic numerals, the Latin word is inherited, through Proto-Italic [[m|itc-pro|*kʷenkʷe]], from [[ine-pro|*pénkʷe|t=five]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Nocentini 2010) In Italic the initial /p/ was assimilated to the /kʷ/ of the next syllable, as in [[m|la|coquō|t=to cook]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto 1968) The cognates include [[grc|πέντε|tr=pénte]], [[sa|पञ्च|tr=páñca]], [[lt|penkì]], [[got|𐍆𐌹𐌼𐍆|tr=fimf]] and [[sga|cóic]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Nocentini 2010) The long /iː/ of the Latin numeral was taken over from the ordinal [[m|la|quīntus|t=fifth]], where the vowel had been lengthened before a lost consonant.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The numeral is first recorded in 1211, in a Florentine merchant's account book, one of the oldest documents of Tuscan.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Besides counting, the numeral has always named a date, an hour and a playing card or face of a die: Tommaseo quotes Boccaccio's ''cinque miglia'' and records ''E cinque!'' as a familiar exclamation at something tiresomely repeated.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)^(GRADIT 2003) In schools it is the mark just below a pass on the scale to ten.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ The compounds have their own histories: ''cinquecento'' “five hundred” is in Boccaccio (1352), ''il Cinquecento'' “the 16th century” in Algarotti before 1764, and in 1965 ''la cinquecento'' became the name of a small car;^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) ''cinquina'', a set of five, is recorded in 1444, and later the five numbers of a lottery or bingo row.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) In dialect ''cinque'' was also a nursery word for money.^(DEI|948)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1211 – First record, in a Florentine account book.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1352 – Boccaccio uses ''cinquecento''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1444 – ''Cinquina'' “a set of five” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1764 – Algarotti uses ''Cinquecento'' for the 16th century.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1865 – ''Cinquenne'' “five years old” is recorded, remade after ''decenne''.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * 1965 – ''Cinquecento'' is recorded as the name of a small car.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Numeral===

+ # [[m|en|five|alt=Five]], one more than four (5, V): ''Abbiamo aspettato cinque ore.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # After a noun, used as an ordinal, fifth: ''capitolo cinque'', ''binario cinque''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # The number five and the figure that represents it.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # The fifth day of a month: ''Torno il cinque di marzo.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(in the feminine plural)'' Five o'clock: ''Ci vediamo alle cinque.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # A [[m|en|mark]] of five out of ten at school, just below a pass.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # A five in a suit of [[m|en|playing cards]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[cinquecento]]

+ * [[cinquecentesco]]

+ * [[cinquecentista]]

+ * [[cinquemila]]

+ * [[cinquina]]

+ * [[cinquenne]]

+ * [[cinquefoglie]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[quinto]]

+ * [[cinquanta]]

+ * [[la|quinque]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Avere i cinque minuti'' means to have a fit of bad temper, and ''in cinque minuti'' “very quickly”.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010) ''Dare il cinque'' or ''battere il cinque'' is to give someone a high five.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}