quipu
or khi·pu
a device consisting of a cord with knotted strings of various colors attached, used by the ancient Peruvians for recording events, keeping accounts, etc.
Origin of quipu
1Words Nearby quipu
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use quipu in a sentence
The instrument consisting of these strings and knots was called the quipu.
In every town some expert men were appointed to tie the knots of the quipu, and to explain them.
It, however, seldom happened that they had to read a quipu without some verbal commentary.
The lengths of the strings used in making the quipu were various.
According to Tylor, "the quipu is a near relation of the rosary and the wampum-string."
British Dictionary definitions for quipu
quippu
/ (ˈkiːpuː, ˈkwɪpuː) /
a device of the Incas of Peru used to record information, consisting of an arrangement of variously coloured and knotted cords attached to a base cord
Origin of quipu
1Collins 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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