Illustration of cinquefoil
- cinquefoil 2
cinquefoil
noun
cinque·foil ˈsiŋk-ˌfȯi(-ə)l 
ˈsaŋk-
ˈsaŋk- 1
: any of a genus (Potentilla) of herbs and shrubs of the rose family usually having 5-lobed leaves and 5-petaled flowers
called also potentilla
2
: a design enclosed by five joined foils
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web There are many different types of weeds that can spoil a lush, green lawn: crabgrass, dandelions, white clover, quack grass, wood sorrel, bindweed, broad-leaf plantain, cinquefoil and creeping charley to name a few. 
Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, 19 Apr. 2019 DeBolt recently drove through Stanley and found an array of meadow flowers in bloom, including wyethia (aka mule’s ears), elephant heads, penstemon, cinquefoil, buckwheat and scarlet gilia. Anna Webb, idahostatesman, 10 July 2017
Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, 19 Apr. 2019 DeBolt recently drove through Stanley and found an array of meadow flowers in bloom, including wyethia (aka mule’s ears), elephant heads, penstemon, cinquefoil, buckwheat and scarlet gilia. Anna Webb, idahostatesman, 10 July 2017 Word History
Etymology
Middle English sink foil, from Anglo-French cincfoille, from Latin quinquefolium, from quinque five + folium leaf — more at blade
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
- Terhune
- terin
- teriyaki
- teriyakis
- terlinguaite
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- term attendant
- term day
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- term in office
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- term of opprobrium
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- term of/in office
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