fifthhand

F4I1F4T1H4H4A1N1D2

adjective

Having been relayed by four intermediate sources.

Scrabble 22
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Meanings

adjectivefifthhand (not comparable)
  1. not comparableHaving been relayed by four intermediate sources.
  2. not comparableHaving had four previous owners.

    It was secondhand‹make that fourth- or fifthhand. This was from an era before any kind of copyright, when librettists were almost expected to steal from other works.

    2002 January 3, Richard Traubner, “Mozart's Singspiel”, in Playbill

Origin

From fifth + hand.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

fifthhand. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fifthhand

MLA

“fifthhand.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fifthhand. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fifthhand,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fifthhand.

Source: fifthhand on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.