: any of a genus (Potentilla) of herbs and shrubs of the rose family usually having 5-lobed leaves and 5-petaled flowers
called alsopotentilla
2
: a design enclosed by five joined foils
Illustration of cinquefoil
cinquefoil 2
Examples of cinquefoil in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebStandouts include the Çınarlı Mosque, formerly the Greek Orthodox church of Ayios Yorgis, built in 1790 with its ionic columns and cinquefoil windows.—Feride Yalav-Heckeroth, CNN, 24 May 2023 There are many different types of weeds that can spoil a lush, green lawn: crabgrass, dandelions, white clover, quack grass, wood sorrel, bindweed, broad-leaf plantain, cinquefoil and creeping charley to name a few.—Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, 19 Apr. 2019 DeBolt recently drove through Stanley and found an array of meadow flowers in bloom, including wyethia (aka mule’s ears), elephant heads, penstemon, cinquefoil, buckwheat and scarlet gilia.—Anna Webb, idahostatesman, 10 July 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cinquefoil.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English sink foil, from Anglo-French cincfoille, from Latin quinquefolium, from quinque five + folium leaf — more at blade
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