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quintile

[kwin-til, -tahyl]
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noun
  1. Statistics. a quantile for the special case of five equal proportions.
  2. Astrology. a quintile aspect.
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adjective
  1. Astrology. of or relating to the aspect of two heavenly bodies that are one fifth of the zodiac, or 72°, apart.
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Origin of quintile

1600–10; < Latin quīnt(us) fifth + -ile (as in quartile)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for quintile

Historical Examples

  • Quintile, kwin′til, n. the aspect of planets distant from each other the fifth part of the zodiac, or 72.

    Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)

    Various

British Dictionary definitions for quintile

quintile

noun astrology
  1. an aspect of 72° between two heavenly bodies
  2. a fifth part of a distribution
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Word Origin

C17: from Latin 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

Word Origin and History for quintile

n.

1610s, originally in astrology, from Latin quintus "the fifth" (see quinque-) + -ile, from quartile. Use in statistics dates to 1951.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper