cinque, cinq
(sɪŋk)
Forms: 3–7 sink, cink, 4–5 cynk, 4–7 sinke, 5–7 synk(e, 5–7 cinke, 6 sinque, cynque, 6–7 cinq, 6– cinque.
[a. OF. cink, cinc, mod.F. cinq (= Pr. cinc, It. cinque):—L. quinque five.]
1. The number five, as marked on dice; a throw in which the die turns up five.
| c 1386 Chaucer Pard. T. 325 Seuene is my chaunce and thyn is cynk & treye [v.r. fyue and þre]. 1509 Barclay Shyp of Folys (1874) I. 295 Thoughe sys or synke them fayle The dyse oft renneth upon the chaunce of thre. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. (1586) 103 b, Set them..in order like the Sinke upon a Die. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. ii. xviii. 116 France and Italy are like a die, which hath no points betwixt sink and ace, Nobility and Pesantry. 1708 Motteux Rabelais v. x. (1737) 37 Cinques, Quaters, Treys, and Duces. 1870 Hardy & Ware Mod. Hoyle (Warne) 142 [Backgam.], Throwing either quatre, cinque or six. |
2. pl. ‘The name given by change-ringers to changes on eleven bells, probably from the fact that five pairs of bells change places in order of ringing in each successive change’ (
Dict. Mus.).
| 1872 Ellacombe Bells Ch. iii. 41 They..rang a course of cinques on hand-bells. |
† 3. Phr.
to set at cinque and sice: ? to expose to great risks, to be reckless about.
cinque outposts, posts: the five senses (
cf. Cinque Ports 2).
| 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 44 Greit folie to set on synk and syss, The greit honour befoir the Romanis wan. 1568 Like Will to Like in Hazl. Dodsley III. 346 My sword, my buckler, and all at sink and cise. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 137 Our Countrymen..for their carelessness of life, setting all at cinque and sice. 1649 Winter Dream in Harl. Misc. VII. 203 (D.), I was fallen soundly asleep; the cinque-out-posts were shut up closer than usually. 1660 Howell Parly Beasts 32 (D.) As if the cinq-posts (my five outward senses) had been trebly lockt up. |
4. Comb.,
† cinque-petal, a flower with five petals;
cinque-point (
Backgammon), the fifth point from the end on either side of the board;
† cinque-points, the ‘five points’
e.g. of Calvinism;
cinque-spotted a., having five spots. See also
cinquefoil,
cinquepace,
Cinque Ports.
| 1715 J. Petiver in Phil. Trans. XXIX. 275 Plantæ fl. pentapetalo, *Cinquepetals. |
| 1664 H. More Synopsis Proph. Pref. to Rdr. 201 Her moderation in the *cinq⁓points, her perfect freeness from all manner of superstitious and imposturous opinions. |
| 1778 T. Jones Hoyle's Games Impr. 161 To secure your own or your Adversary's *Cinque Point. 1870 Hardy & Ware Mod. Hoyle (Warne) 141 [Backgam.] the first most advantageous throw is aces, as it..secures the cinque point in your inner table. |
| 1611 Shakes. Cymb. ii. ii. 38 On her left brest A mole *Cinque-spotted. 1817 Coleridge Biog. Lit. 60 A..cinque-spotted shadow. |