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cinquain

[ sing-keyn, sing-keyn ]
/ sɪŋˈkeɪn, ˈsɪŋ keɪn /
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noun
a group of five.
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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Origin of cinquain

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

Words nearby cinquain

cinnamon sedge, cinnamon stone, cinnamon teal, cinnamon toast, cinnamyl acetate, cinquain, cinque, cinquecentist, cinquecento, cinquedea, cinquefoil
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for cinquain

cinquain
/ (sɪŋˈkeɪn, ˈsɪŋkeɪn) /
noun
a stanza of five lines

Word Origin for cinquain

C18 (in the sense: a military company of five): from French cinq five, from Latin quinque; compare quatrain
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
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