Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An arrangement of five objects or marks with one at each corner of a rectangle or square and one at the center.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A Roman brass coin of five unciæ.
  • noun A reliquary in the shape of a cross, the four parts of which can be folded over the central one.
  • noun An arrangement of five objects in a square, one at each corner and one in the middle (thus, ); especially, an arrangement, as of trees, in such squares continuously.
  • noun In botany, same as quincuncial estivation (which see, under quincuncial).
  • noun In astrology, the position of planets when distant from each other five signs or 150°.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An arrangement of things by fives in a square or a rectangle, one being placed at each corner and one in the middle; especially, such an arrangement of trees repeated indefinitely, so as to form a regular group with rows running in various directions.
  • noun (Astrol.) The position of planets when distant from each other five signs, or 150°.
  • noun (Bot.) A quincuncial arrangement, as of the parts of a flower in æstivation. See Quincuncial, 2.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An arrangement of five units in a pattern corresponding to the five-spot on dice, playing cards, or dominoes.
  • noun astrology An angle of five-twelfths of a circle, or 150°, between two objects.
  • noun A bronze coin minted during the Roman Republic, valued at five-twelfths of an as.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin quīncūnx, quīncūnc-, five twelfths : quīnque, five; see penkwe in Indo-European roots + ūncia, twelfth part of a unit; see ounce.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin quincunx

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Examples

  • There is also one extra division of 150 degrees, the quincunx, which is an aspect of change.

    Astrology for Enlightenment Michelle Karén 2008

  • Others plant them in form of a quincunx, which is better for the hop, and will do very well where your ground is but small that you may overcome it with either the breast plough or spade. '

    A Short History of English Agriculture 1893

  • The Galton board, also known as a quincunx or bean machine, is a device for statistical experiments named after English scientist Sir Francis Galton.

    WN.com - Financial News 2010

  • The Galton board, also known as a quincunx or bean machine, is a device for statistical experiments named after English scientist Sir Francis Galton.

    WN.com - Financial News 2010

  • Joystiq, a Terminal Reality spokesperson said: "For the record, the PS3 version is softer due to the 'quincunx' antialiasing filter and the fact we render at about 75% the resolution of the 360 version."

    VideoGamer.com - All Updates 2009

  • He's the fellow who does our Face-Off features and compiles bonkers articles about individual BioShock frames, incidentally, and to whom words such as "quincunx" mean something.

    Eurogamer 2008

  • There was a quincunx of springs, the waters of which were believed by many to be a cure for a multiplicity of ills, to be found in the shrine in the centre of the town and, beyond the locks of the river (which flowed east, to the city of Landward), were the parlours of the wonder-workers.

    One Year’s Worth of Woe « A Fly in Amber 2009

  • On October 4, Venus and Jupiter meet up in a quirky quincunx, offering us the opportunity to gain perspective on society, self-worth and our ability to give and receive love.

    Aries Full Moon 2009: The Harvest Moon 2009

  • The Venus-Neptune quincunx urges us to bring our ideals into reality instead of deluding ourselves with our old fantasies.

    Aries Full Moon 2009: The Harvest Moon 2009

  • October 9, Venus opposes Uranus and makes a quirky quincunx to Neptune.

    Aries Full Moon 2009: The Harvest Moon 2009

Comments

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  • This is a popular word, especially amongst the wordocracy, but no love from the comment crowd.

    September 19, 2007

  • Actually, I first learned this word when I came across the book by the same name (by Charles Palliser). A maddening novel.

    September 19, 2007

  • I played this in Scrabble once. It was my proudest Scrabble moment.

    November 30, 2007

  • Nice. How did your opponenet react? Were they upset?

    November 30, 2007

  • Quincunx is also the name of the holding company for a large outdoor amphitheatre in western Clark County, Washington. The amphitheatre-building project was not very popular in its neighborhood because of the noise and traffic it would bring. I think they adopted the name "Quincunx" rather than something less mysterious (e.g. "Clark County Amphitheatre Company") so that they could hide from their detractors.

    December 4, 2007

  • In Astrology, Quincunx:

    One of several possible aspects or relationships between planets in a horoscope.

    An arc of 150 degrees. Also known as the inconjunct; this aspect creates a certain uneasiness and a feeling of discomfort and has karmic lessons to teach us. It is a minor aspect.

    Otherwise known as Inconjunct.

    This aspect is the only one not measured by celestial longitude. It is of two or more planets having the same distance in declination in degrees, north or south of the celestial equator.

    February 3, 2008

  • This is a brilliant word. It sounds suggestive and rude, but in a very abstract way. It is, of course, neither.

    August 15, 2008

  • Hmm... in fact, it's a lot like "crunchysaviour." ;)

    August 15, 2008

  • An arrangement of five objects with one at each corner of a rectangle or square and one at the center.

    it's like the 5 on a die

    December 9, 2008

  • JM walks to each corner of the room, then stands in the exact centre and mutters 'Quincunx'

    February 1, 2009

  • It particularly relates to the laying out of orchards, the alternating rows of trees being arranged in groups of five as on dice.

    April 6, 2009

  • Also inconjunct.

    April 17, 2018

  • Every couple of decades or so I suddenly get sledgehammered by a new word. And a year ago it was Quincunx that wolloped me and I've fallen madly in love with it. I've collected dice all my life. The five was always my favourite side because I like that pattern and have been aware of it all around us in many shapes and forms all my life. But only a year ago did I find out it's called a Quincunx! Revelation time! I'm such a happy bunny! Beautiful word. ❤️❤️😊

    September 10, 2019