cinquain

American  

[sing-keyn, sing-keyn] / sɪŋˈkeɪn, ˈsɪŋ keɪn /

noun

1. a group of five.

2. Prosody.

   1. a short poem consisting of five, usually unrhymed lines containing, respectively, two, four, six, eight, and two syllables.

   2. any stanza of five lines.

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cinquain British  

/ ˈsɪŋkeɪn, sɪŋˈkeɪn /

noun

1. a stanza of five lines

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Etymology

Origin of cinquain

1705–15; < French < Late Latin cinque ( cinque ) + French -ain collective suffix. See quatrain

Example Sentences

They are assigned to write a three-stanza lyric poem in response to “Eucalyptus” and an American cinquain based on a work of their choice.

From Washington Post