cinquain

[ sing-keyn, sing-keyn ]

noun

1. a group of five.
2. Prosody.
   1. a short poem consisting of five, usually unrhymed lines containing, respectively, two, four, six, eight, and two syllables.
   2. any stanza of five lines.

cinquain

/ ˈsɪŋkeɪn; sɪŋˈkeɪn /

noun

1. a stanza of five lines

Word History and Origins

Origin of cinquain¹

1705–15; < French < Late Latin cinque ( cinque ) + French -ain collective suffix. See quatrain

Word History and Origins

Origin of cinquain¹

C18 (in the sense: a military company of five): from French cinq five, from Latin quinque; compare quatrain

Example Sentences

They are assigned to write a three-stanza lyric poem in response to “Eucalyptus” and an American cinquain based on a work of their choice.

From Washington Post