fifth

[ fifthor, often, fith ]

adjective

1. next after the fourth; being the ordinal number for five.
2. being one of five equal parts.
3. Automotive. of, relating to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which the drive shaft speed is greater than that of fourth gear for a given engine crankshaft speed:

   fifth gear.

adverb

1. in the fifth place; fifthly.

noun

1. a fifth part, especially of one (1/5).
2. the fifth member of a series.
3. a fifth part of a gallon of liquor or spirits; 4/5 (0.8) of a quart (about 750 milliliters).
4. Automotive. fifth gear.
5. Music.
   1. a tone on the fifth degree from another tone (counted as the first).
   2. the interval between such tones.
   3. the harmonic combination of such tones.

fifth

/ fɪfθ /

adjective

1. 1. coming after the fourth in order, position, time, etc. Often written: 5th
   2. ( as noun )

      he came on the fifth

noun

1. 1. one of five equal or nearly equal parts of an object, quantity, measurement, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      a fifth part

2. the fraction equal to one divided by five ( 1 5 )
3. music
   1. the interval between one note and another five notes away from it counting inclusively along the diatonic scale
   2. one of two notes constituting such an interval in relation to the other See also perfect diminished interval
4. an additional high gear fitted to some motor vehicles

adverb

1. Alsofifthly after the fourth person, position, event, etc

sentence connector

1. Alsofifthly as the fifth point: linking what follows with the previous statements, as in a speech or argument

Word History and Origins

Origin of fifth¹

First recorded before 1000; earlier fift, Middle English fifte, Old English fīfta; -th by analogy with fourth, etc.

Word History and Origins

Origin of fifth¹

Old English fīfta

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. plead the Fifth, Law Informal. to decline on the basis of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to answer a question when testifying. Also take the Fifth.

More idioms and phrases containing fifth

• take the fifth

Example Sentences

But on Thursday Boxer triggered a Golden State political earthquake, announcing that she would not seek a fifth term in 2016.

From The Daily Beast

He branded it a fifth-column invasion into popular culture, normalizing radical, even communist ambitions.

From The Daily Beast

Insult to injury, its $43 million gross was less than one-fifth of what Ted took in.

From The Daily Beast

As late as the fifth century, powerful aristocratic women took charge of the commemoration of the dead in Rome.

From The Daily Beast

Each two-hour episode will build upon itself to tell a story that takes place between the third and fifth seasons of the show.

From The Daily Beast

These Rules (leaving out the Tenor) serves for five bells; and leaving out the fifth and Tenor, they serve for four bells.

From Project Gutenberg

After about the forty-fifth year it becomes gradually less; after seventy-five years it is about one-half the amount given.

From Project Gutenberg

Ordinarily the diazo appears a little earlier than the Widal reaction—about the fourth or fifth day—but it may be delayed.

From Project Gutenberg

In the next two days he re-wrote the twenty thousand, and on the fifth day he tore it into shreds and threw it to the winds.

From Project Gutenberg

A fifth by the sheer hazard of a lucky "deal" acquires a fortune without work at all.

From Project Gutenberg