quintain

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quintain

/ˈkwɪntɪn/

Where it comes from

From Anglo-Norman quintaine, quinteine, Middle French quintaine, probably from Latin quīntāna (“street separating fifth and sixth maniples in a Roman camp”), feminine form of quīntānus (“pertaining to the fifth”).

noun quintains

historical An object (generally a post or plank on a support) set up as a target to be tilted at in jousting, or otherwise used as target practice. My better parts Are all thrown down; and that which here stands up Is but a quintain, a mere lifeless block.

Translations

Every language

noun Translations

Português	estafermo
Français	quintaine
Deutsch	drehender Roland, Quintana
Italiano	quintana

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MLA

"quintain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/quintain. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

quintain. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/quintain

Chicago

"quintain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/quintain.

BibTeX

@misc{quintain_2026,
  title = {quintain},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/quintain},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}