Meanings
plural cinquefoils · alternative cinqfoil · alternative quinquefoil
- A potentilla (flower).
Witches always anointed themselves with ointments before departing up the chimney to their Sabbaths. One such ointment was composed of Aconite, Belladonna, Water Parsley, Cinquefoil and Babies' Fat.
1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 112
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA particular knot of five crossings.
flower
More synonyms by meaning
nounany of a numerous plants grown for their five-petaled flowers; abundant in temperate regions; alleged to have medicinal properties
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Frenchcinqfoil
- Englishcinquefoil
From Old French cinqfoil, from cinq (“five”) + foil (“leaf”).
More words from Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan quinquefoli
- quinquefoliheraldry: stylized flower or leaf with five lobes
Finnish viisilehti, viisilehtinen kukka
- viisilehtiheraldry: stylized flower or leaf with five lobes
- viisilehtinen kukkaheraldry: stylized flower or leaf with five lobes
French quintefeuille
- quintefeuilleheraldry: stylized flower or leaf with five lobes
German Fünfpass
- Fünfpassheraldry: stylized flower or leaf with five lobes
Italian cinquefoglie
- cinquefoglieheraldry: stylized flower or leaf with five lobes
Swedish femblading
- fembladingheraldry: stylized flower or leaf with five lobes
Cite this entry
cinquefoil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cinquefoil
“cinquefoil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cinquefoil. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cinquefoil,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cinquefoil.
Source: cinquefoil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.