quintain

[ kwin-tn ]

See synonyms for quintain on Thesaurus.com

noun

an object mounted on a post or attached to a movable crossbar mounted on a post, used as a target in the medieval sport of tilting.
the sport of tilting at a quintain.

Origin of quintain

1400–50; late Middle English quyntain object for tilting at <Middle French quintaine or Medieval Latin quintāna, of obscure origin; the alleged connection with Latin quīntāna “market place in a military camp” is dubious

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use quintain in a sentence

Quintains, however, she was determined to have, and had poles and swivels and bags of flour prepared accordingly.
Barchester Towers | Anthony Trollope
To rear up seven quintains the Cid next morning bade; Before they went to dinner, were the seven burst in twain.
The Lay of the Cid | R. Selden Rose

British Dictionary definitions for quintain

quintain

/ (ˈkwɪntɪn) /

noun(esp in medieval Europe)

a post or target set up for tilting exercises for mounted knights or foot soldiers
the exercise of tilting at such a target

Origin of quintain

C14: from Old French quintaine, from Latin: street in a Roman camp between the fifth and sixth maniples, from quintus fifth

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse