cinquefoil

cinque·foil

noun \ˈsiŋk-ˌfȯi(-ə)l, ˈsaŋk-\

Definition of CINQUEFOIL

1

: any of a genus (Potentilla) of herbs and shrubs of the rose family usually having 5-lobed leaves and 5-petaled flowers —called also potentilla

2

: a design enclosed by five joined foils

Illustration of CINQUEFOIL

Origin of CINQUEFOIL

Middle English sink foil, from Anglo-French cincfoille, from Latin quinquefolium, from quinque five + folium leaf — more at blade

First Known Use: 14th century

Rhymes with CINQUEFOIL

coal oil, corn oil, fish oil, fixed oil, free-soil, fuel oil, gas oil, night soil, palm oil, red soil, rose oil, shale oil, snake oil, sperm oil, subsoil, tung oil, white oil

cinquefoil

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Common cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex)—Arthur W. Ambler—The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers

Any of the approximately 500 species of shrubs and herbaceous plants in the genus Potentilla (rose family). The common name, meaning “five-leaved,” refers to the number of leaflets in the compound leaf of most species. Most species are native to the northern temperate zone and the Arctic and are chiefly perennial. The stems are creeping or erect. The solitary, five-petaled flowers are usually yellow, sometimes white or red in horticultural varieties. P. fruticosa includes many dwarf shrubs used in landscaping (see landscape gardening).