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quintain

[ kwin-tn ]
/ ˈkwɪn tn /
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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.
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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. 2023

How to use quintain in a sentence

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

Word Origin for 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
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