pentad

[ pen-tad ]

noun

1. a period of five years.
2. a group of five.
3. the number five.
4. Chemistry. a pentavalent element or group.
5. Climatology. a period of five consecutive days.

pentad

/ ˈpɛntæd /

noun

1. a group or series of five
2. the number or sum of five
3. a period of five years
4. chem a pentavalent element, atom, or radical
5. meteorol a period of five days

Word History and Origins

Origin of pentad¹

First recorded in 1645–55; from Greek pentad- (stem of pentás ) group of five; pent-, -ad ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of pentad¹

C17: from Greek pentas group of five

Example Sentences

“I was like what, what is this?” said Ms. Cunningham, 40, recalling a late-night phone conversation with Michael Harris in January 2017, in which he preached of the pentad: 1.

From New York Times

The number Five, or the pentad, has a peculiar force in sacred expiations; it is everything; it stops the power of poisons, and is redoubted by evil spirits.

From Project Gutenberg

Perseverance is the endurance in one or other of these pentads until the attainment of the desired end, and is distributed into the differenced and the rest.

From Project Gutenberg

Five, or the pentad, is everything; it stops the power of poisons, and is dreaded by evil spirits.

From Project Gutenberg

The Sâ@nkhya categories have each their individual difference, and there are no attributes belonging in common to each pentad on account of which the number twenty-five could be divided into five times five.

From Project Gutenberg