pentacle
[ pen-tuh-kuh l ]
/ ˈpɛn tə kəl /
noun
a similar figure, as a hexagram.
RELATED WORDS
cinquefoil, pentangle, pentagram, quintuple, lustrum, cinque, quinquennium, quintuplet, pentagon, limerick, pentad, quincunx, quinquennial, quintuplicate
Nearby words
- pent-up,
- pent.,
- penta-,
- pentachloronitrobenzene,
- pentachlorophenol,
- pentad,
- pentadactyl,
- pentadecagon,
- pentaerythritol,
- pentaerythritol tetranitrate
Origin of pentacle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for pentacle
pentacle
/ (ˈpɛntəkəl) /
noun
another name for pentagram
Word Origin for pentacle
C16: from Italian pentacolo something having five corners; see penta-
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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pentacle
1590s, from Medieval Latin pentaculum "pentagram," a hybrid coined from Greek pente "five" (see five) + Latin -culum, diminutive (or instrumental) suffix. OED notes other similar words: Italian had pentacolo "anything with five points," and French pentacle (16c.) was the name of something used in necromancy, perhaps a five-branched candlestick; French had pentacol "amulet worn around the neck" (14c.), from pend- "to hang" + a "to" + col "neck." The same figure as a pentagram, except in magical usage, where it has been extended to other symbols of power, including a six-point star. Related: Pentacular.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper