quipu

American  

[kee-poo, kwip-oo] / ˈki pu, ˈkwɪp u /

Or khipu

noun

1. a device consisting of a cord with knotted strings of various colors attached, used by the ancient Peruvians for recording events, keeping accounts, etc.

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quipu British  

/ ˈkiːpuː, ˈkwɪpuː /

noun

1. 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

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Etymology

Origin of quipu

First recorded in 1695–1705; from Spanish, from Quechua khipu

Explanation

A quipu is a device for recording data that was traditionally used in one region of South America. Information was recorded on a quipu using a system of knots tied into strings. In South America's Andean region, many cultures have historically used the quipu to keep track of things like census data and calendars. The Incas were among these quipu users, encoding information into knots and string colors that some researchers believe included a complete writing system for recording literature. Today, quipus serve a mainly ritual purpose. Quipu is a Quechua word that means "knot."

Example Sentences

Quipu: Knotted, parti-colored strings used by the ancient Peruvians to keep records.

From Inca Land Explorations in the Highlands of Peru by Bingham, Hiram

The instrument consisting of these strings and knots was called the Quipu.

From Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests by Ross, Thomasina

I read thy secret on the moon, As if upon the Quipu knots; And what thou wouldst most surely hide, Is plain to me as all the rest.

From Apu Ollantay A Drama of the Time of the Incas by Markham, Clements R. (Clements Robert), Sir