quincunx
Americannoun
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an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
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Botany. an overlapping arrangement of five petals or leaves, in which two are interior, two are exterior, and one is partly interior and partly exterior.
noun
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a group of five objects arranged in the shape of a rectangle with one at each of the four corners and the fifth in the centre
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botany a quincuncial arrangement of sepals or petals in the bud
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astrology an aspect of 150° between two planets
Etymology
Origin of quincunx
1640–50; < Latin: five twelfths ( quinc-, variant of quīnque- quinque- + uncia twelfth; see ounce 1); originally a Roman coin worth five twelfths of an as and marked with a quincunx of spots
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As we walked along the geometric beds — many of them planted in an ancient Roman quincunx pattern — I made notes on the beautiful crops I had never grown.
From New York Times ● Jul. 1, 2010
Another lesson from Monticello is planting crops in a quincunx pattern.
From New York Times ● Jul. 1, 2010
“It’s a quincunx for probability distribution analysis,” says Siraj.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
Ainsley’s gemstones and Siraj’s quincunx both earned an honorable mention.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
He, the young garden-lover, sat at the feet of the great garden-mystic, and began to pore wonderingly over the inscrutable secrets of the quincunx.
From Austin and His Friends by Frederic H. Balfour
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