Word Study
fifth
CIDE DICTIONARY
fifth, a. [OE. fifte, fifthe, AS. fīfta. See Five.].
- Next in order after the fourth; -- the ordinal of five. [1913 Webster]
- Consisting of one of five equal divisions of a thing. [1913 Webster]
fifth, n.
- The quotient of a unit divided by five; one of five equal parts; a fifth part. [1913 Webster]
- The interval of three tones and a semitone, embracing five diatonic degrees of the scale; the dominant of any key. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
fifth, n. & adj.
--n.
1 the position in a sequence corresponding to that of the number 5 in the sequence 1-5.
2 something occupying this position.
3 the fifth person etc. in a race or competition.
4 any of five equal parts of a thing.
5 Mus. a an interval or chord spanning five consecutive notes in the diatonic scale (e.g. C to G). b a note separated from another by this interval.
6 US colloq. a a fifth of a gallon of liquor. b a bottle containing this.
--adj. that is the fifth.
--n.
1 the position in a sequence corresponding to that of the number 5 in the sequence 1-5.
2 something occupying this position.
3 the fifth person etc. in a race or competition.
4 any of five equal parts of a thing.
5 Mus. a an interval or chord spanning five consecutive notes in the diatonic scale (e.g. C to G). b a note separated from another by this interval.
6 US colloq. a a fifth of a gallon of liquor. b a bottle containing this.
--adj. that is the fifth.
Idiom
fifth column a group working for an enemy within a country at war etc. (from General Mola's reference to such support in besieged Madrid in 1936). fifth-columnist a member of a fifth column; a traitor or spy. Fifth Monarchy the last of the five great kingdoms predicted in Daniel 2:44. Fifth-monarchy-man hist. a 17th-c. zealot expecting the immediate second coming of Christ and repudiating all other government. fifth part = sense
3 of n.
fifth wheel
1 an extra wheel of a coach.
2 a superfluous person or thing.
3 a horizontal turntable over the front axle of a carriage as an extra support to prevent its tipping. take the fifth (in the US) exercise the right guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of refusing to answer questions in order to avoid incriminating oneself.
3 of n.
fifth wheel
1 an extra wheel of a coach.
2 a superfluous person or thing.
3 a horizontal turntable over the front axle of a carriage as an extra support to prevent its tipping. take the fifth (in the US) exercise the right guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of refusing to answer questions in order to avoid incriminating oneself.
Derivative
fifthly adv.
Etymology
earlier and dial. fift f. OE fifta f. Gmc, assim. to FOURTH
THESAURUS
fifth
consecutive intervals, decimalization, decimation, degree, diapason, diatessaron, diatonic interval, diatonic semitone, enharmonic diesis, enharmonic interval, fivefold, fourth, half step, halftone, interval, less semitone, melodic interval, note, octave, parallel octaves, pentad, pentadic, pentastyle, pentavalent, quinary, quincuncial, quinquefid, quinquennial, quinquepartite, quinquepartition, quinquesection, quintuple, quintuplicate, second, semitone, seventh, sextipartition, sixth, step, tenth, third, tithe, tone, unison interval, whole stepROGET THESAURUS
fifth
Five
N five, five, cinque, quint, quincux, six, half-a- dozen, half dozen, seven, eight, nine, three times three, dicker, ten, decade, eleven, twelve, dozen, thirteen, long dozen, baker's dozen, quintuplet, twenty, score, twenty-four, four and twenty, two dozen, twenty-five, five and twenty, quarter of a hundred, forty, two score, fifty, half a hundred, sixty, three score, seventy, three score and ten, eighty, four score, ninety, fourscore and ten, sestiad, hundred, centenary, hecatomb, century, hundredweight, cwt, one hundred and forty-four, gross, thousand, chiliad, millennium, thousand years, grand, myriad, ten thousand, ban, man, ten thousand years, banzai, lac, one hundred thousand, plum, million, thousand million, milliard, billion, trillion, five, quinary, quintuple, fifth, senary, sextuple, sixth, seventh, septuple, octuple, eighth, ninefold, ninth, tenfold, decimal, denary, decuple, tenth, eleventh, duodenary, duodenal, twelfth, in one's 'teens, thirteenth, vicesimal, vigesimal, twentieth, twenty-fourth, vicenary, vicennial, centuple, centuplicate, centennial, centenary, centurial, secular, hundredth, thousandth.Quinquesection
N quinquesection, &c, division by five, quinquesection, decimation, fifth, quinquefid, quinquelateral, quinquepartite, quinqevalent, pentavalent, quinquarticular, octifid, decimal, tenth, tithe, duodecimal, twelfth, sexagesimal, sexagenary, hundredth, centesimal, millesimal.For further exploring for "fifth" in Webster Dictionary Online