What does cinque mean?
Cinque is a noun meaning the number five, most commonly encountered as the name of the five on a die or playing card. Borrowed into English from Italian, it survives almost exclusively in the language of gaming, appearing in traditional dice games such as hazard and backgammon, where rolls are often announced by their Italian-derived names — a cinque and a trey, for example, means a five and a three. Outside these contexts the word is essentially obsolete, though it retains a certain antique charm in literature about card rooms and gambling houses of earlier centuries. Its etymology ties it to the same Latin root, quinque, that gives English words like quintet, quintessence, and quincunx, making it a small linguistic fossil of how deeply classical numerals permeated European languages. For readers of historical fiction or enthusiasts of traditional games, recognizing cinque adds authenticity and precision to an otherwise plain numeral.
nounThe number five, especially the five on dice or playing cards.
- The number five as shown on a die or playing card.
- The number five more generally, especially in historical or gaming contexts.
"She rolled a cinque and a trey on her first throw."
"He threw a cinque and a deuce, giving him seven exactly."
"On the board, her cinque advanced to meet the opposing blot."
The plural refers to multiple instances of the number five, e.g., several fives thrown or held.
"He threw three cinques in succession."
When you roll a five at dice, you're speaking Italian — 'cinque' is one of the few numbers that crossed into English purely through gambling.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cinque
Cinque entered English from Italian cinque, meaning 'five', which descends directly from the Latin quinque. It was adopted during the early modern period chiefly through gambling and gaming culture, when English borrowed Italian terms for cards and dice alongside names like 'trey' (three) and 'sice' (six). The same Latin root produced the French cinq and underlies English derivatives such as quintet, quintessence, and quintuple.
How cinque is actually used
Cinque is largely confined to games of chance — dice games such as backgammon and hazard, and card-game terminology — and carries an old-fashioned, slightly literary flavor. It is rare in everyday speech, where 'five' is always preferred.
Easily confused with cinque
A sink is a basin for washing or a verb meaning to descend below a surface; cinque is simply the number five in cards and dice.
Cinq is the French word for five, whereas cinque is the English borrowing used chiefly in gaming contexts.