cinquefoil

cinque·foil  (sngkfoil, sngk-)

n.

1. Any of several plants of the genus Potentilla in the rose family, native chiefly to temperate and cold regions and having yellow or sometimes white or red flowers and compound leaves that in some species bear five leaflets.

2. Architecture A design having five sides composed of converging arcs, usually used as a frame for glass or a panel.

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[Middle English cinkfoil : cink, five; see cinque + foil, leaf (translation of Old French quintefeuille, from Latin qunquefolium, translation of Greek pentaphullon); see foil².]

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cinquefoil [ˈsɪŋkˌfɔɪl]

n

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Plants) any plant of the N temperate rosaceous genus Potentilla, typically having five-lobed compound leaves

2. (Fine Arts & Visual Arts / Architecture) an ornamental carving in the form of five arcs arranged in a circle and separated by cusps

3. (History / Heraldry) Heraldry a charge representing a five-petalled flower

[C13 sink foil, from Old French cincfoille, from Latin quinquefolium plant with five leaves, translating Greek pentaphullon from pente five + phullon leaf]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	cinquefoil - any of a numerous plants grown for their five-petaled flowers; abundant in temperate regions; alleged to have medicinal properties five-finger genus Potentilla, Potentilla - chiefly perennial northern hemisphere herbs and shrubs: cinquefoil goose-tansy, Potentilla anserina, silverweed, goose grass - low-growing perennial having leaves silvery beneath; northern United States; Europe; Asia bush, shrub - a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
	2.	cinquefoil - an ornamental carving consisting of five arcs arranged in a circle carving - a sculpture created by removing material (as wood or ivory or stone) in order to create a desired shape