five

views updated May 18 2018

five / fīv/ • cardinal number equivalent to the sum of two and three; one more than four, or half of ten; 5: a circlet of five petals five of Sweden's top financial experts. (Roman numeral: v or V.) ∎  a group or unit of five people or things: the bulbs are planted in threes or fives. ∎  five years old: he moved with his family to a fish farm when he was five. ∎  five o'clock: at half past five. ∎  a size of garment or other merchandise denoted by five. ∎  a playing card or domino with five spots or pips. ∎  a five-dollar bill: Joe counted his money: six fives and three twenties.ORIGIN: Old English fīf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vijf and German fünf, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin quinque and Greek pente.

five

views updated Jun 27 2018

five five-and-dime in North America, a shop selling a wide variety of inexpensive household and personal goods (originally, a shop where all the articles were priced at five or ten cents).
five-finger exercise an easy task (literally, an exercise on the piano for all the fingers on both hands).
five Ks in Sikh belief, five signs, kangha (comb), kara (steel bangle), kesh (uncut hair, covered by a turban, and beard), kirpan (short sword) and kuccha (short trousers, originally for riding) which show allegiance to the Khalsa.
Five Members the members of the Long Parliament, Pym, Hampden, Haselrig, Holles, and Strode, whose arrest was unsuccessfully attempted by Charles I on 4 January 1642 in the House of Commons; having been warned in advance, they had escaped. The event contributed materially to the final break between king and Parliament.
five o'clock shadow a dark appearance on a man's chin and face caused by the slight growth of beard that has occurred since he shaved in the morning.
Five Pillars of Islam the five duties expected of every Muslim—profession of the faith in a prescribed form, observance of ritual prayer, giving alms to the poor, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and performing a pilgrimage to Mecca.
five senses the faculties of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.

See also know how many beans make five, the Famous Five at famous, the feeding of the Five Thousand, the five wits at wit, Five Wounds at wound.

five

views updated Jun 11 2018

five repr. inflected form fīfe (fīfa, fīfum) of OE. fīf = OS. fīf (Du. viif), OHG. fimf, finf (G. fünf), ON. fimm, Goth. fimf :- Gmc. *fimfi :- IE. *pempe, alt. by assim. from *peŋqe, whence Skr. páñca, Gr. pénte, L. quínque, OIr. cóic, OW. pimp (mod. pump), Lith. penki.
So fifteen. OE. fīftēne (-tīene) = OS. fiftein (Du. viijftien), OHG. fimfzehan (G. fünfzehn), ON. fimtán, Goth. fimftaihun. Hence fifteenth. Late OE. fīftēnða (XI); see -TEEN. fifth. OE. fīfta = OS. fīfto (Du. viifde), OHG. fimfto (G. fünfte), ON. fimti; the standard form has -TH2 after fourth. fifty. OE. fīftiġ = OS. fīftich (Du. vijftig), OHG. fimfzug (G. fünfzig), ON. fimmtigr, Goth. fimftigjus; see -TY1. Hence fiftieth. OE. fiftiġeoða.

Five

views updated May 11 2018

Five

a basketball team.