"1 more than four; the number which is one more than four; a symbol representing this number;" Old English fif "five," from Proto-Germanic *fimfe (source also of Old Frisian fif, Old Saxon fif, Dutch vijf, Old Norse fimm, Old High German funf, Gothic fimf), from PIE root *penkwe- "five." The lost *-m- is a regular development (compare tooth).
Five-and-ten (Cent Store) is from 1880, American English, with reference to prices of goods for sale. Five-star (adj.) is from 1913 of hotels, 1945 of generals. Slang five-finger discount "theft" is from 1966. The original five-year plan was 1928 in the U.S.S.R. Five o'clock shadow attested by 1937.
[under picture of a pretty girl] "If I were a man I'd pay attention to that phrase '5 O'Clock Shadow.' It's that messy beard growth which appears prematurely about 5 P.M." [advertisement for Gem razors and blades in Life magazine, May 9, 1938]
"consisting of five metrical feet," 1540s, from French pentametre, from Latin pentameter, from Greek pentametros (adj.) "having five measures," from pente "five" (see five) + metron "measure" (see meter (n.1)).
As a noun from 1580s, "a verse line of five feet;" in ancient prosody "a dactylic dipenthemimeres or combination of two catalectic dactylic tripodies" [Century Dictionary]. Saintsbury, the great early 20c. prosodist, objects to the "verse line" sense as a misuse of meter and prefers decasyllable.
The verses we have hitherto examined may be constructed at pleasure of any kind of metre—dactyl, troche, iamb, or anapest. But all at once, we now find this liberty of choice refused. We may write a pentametre verse in iambs only. A most notable phenomenon, significant of much more than I can at present understand,—how much less explain .... [Ruskin, "Elements of English Prosody, for use in St. George's Schools," 1880]
Proto-Indo-European root meaning "five."
It forms all or part of: cinquain; cinque; cinquecento; cinquefoil; fifteen; fifth; fifty; fin (n.) "five-dollar bill;" finger; fist; five; foist; keno; parcheesi; penta-; pentacle; pentad; Pentateuch; Pentecost; pentagon; pentagram; pentameter; pentathlon; Pentothal; Pompeii; Punjab; punch (n.2) "type of mixed drink;" quinary; quincunx; quinella; quinque-; quinquennial; quint; quintain; quintet; quintile; quintessence; quintillion; quintuple.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit panca, Greek pente, Latin quinque, Old Church Slavonic pęti, Lithuanian penki, Old Welsh pimp, Old English fif, Dutch vijf, Old High German funf.
game of chance (akin to bingo), 1814, American English, probably from French quine "five winning numbers in a lottery," from Latin quini "five each," distributive of quinque "five" (from PIE root *penkwe- "five"). The numbers are arranged in rows of five.
"collection of five," 1711, from French cinquain "bundle of five objects," from cinq "five" (from PIE root *penkwe- "five"). Originally in English of military orders of battle (five battalions drawn up in three lines); of five-lined stanzas of verse from 1882 (give a more specific form in English than usual in French).
1843, "five-pound note," from five + -er.
"set of five things considered together," 1650s, from Greek pentas (genitive pentados) "the number five, a group of five," from PIE root *penkwe- "five." Meaning "period of five years" is from 1880; meaning "period of five days" is from 1906, originally in meteorology.
