quipu

American

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

Or khipu

noun

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

quipu British

/ ˈkiːpuː, ˈkwɪpuː /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of quipu

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

By the end of the project, which ran from 2016 to 2018, the quipu included 18 ropes of thread comprised of countless knots.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2023

The quipu of knotted string was a complex but portable Inca recording device.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

How would you go about translating a quipu?

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

The word quipu is Quechua for “knot,” a metonym for the inscription system of knotted cords developed in the Andes over 5,000 years ago.

From New York Times • Aug. 25, 2022

The two men recorded this information on the official quipu strings.

From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023