five
num. · n.-
1 the number 5 (num.) A1 Beginnerthe number 5.
the cardinal number between four and six.
ExampleThere are five people in my family.
ExampleThe survey indicates that five out of ten respondents prefer the new interface over the traditional layout.
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2 the digit or figure (n.) A2 Elementarythe written symbol 5.
the symbol or character representing the number five.
ExampleThe house number was a large brass five on the gate.
ExampleThe child carefully traced the five on the chalkboard, making sure the top line was perfectly straight.
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3 time (n.) A2 Elementaryfive o'clock.
the point in time marking five hours past midnight or noon.
ExampleI usually finish work at five and get home by six.
ExampleThe meeting was scheduled for five, but several participants were delayed by the heavy evening traffic.
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4 money (n.) B1 Intermediate Informala banknote worth five dollars, pounds, or euros.
a currency note with a denomination of five units.
ExampleCan you change a twenty for four fives?
ExampleHe reached into his wallet and pulled out a crumpled five to pay for the coffee and croissant.
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5 a short break (n.) B2 Upper Intermediate Informala short rest, usually for five minutes.
a brief interval of rest from an activity, conventionally five minutes in duration.
ExampleLet's take five before we start the next chapter.
ExampleThe director told the exhausted cast to take five while the stagehands adjusted the lighting rig for the final scene.
UsageCommonly used in the phrase 'take five'.
PIE word *pénkʷe From Middle English fyf, fyve, from Old English fīf (“five”), from Proto-West Germanic fimf (“five”), from Proto-Germanic fimf (“five”), from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷe. See also West Frisian fiif, Dutch vijf, German fünf, Norwegian and Swedish fem, Icelandic fimm; also Welsh pump, Latin quinque, Tocharian A päñ, Tocharian B piś, Lithuanian penki, Russian пять (pjatʹ), Albanian pesë, pêsë, Ancient Greek πέντε (pénte), Armenian հինգ (hing), Persian پنج (panj), Sanskrit पञ्च (páñca). Doublet of cinque, fin (“five currency units”), finnuf, pimp (“five”), ponzu, punch (“beverage”), and sengi (“currency”); related to Pompeii. The nasal m in Proto-Germanic fimf was lost through a sound change known as the Ingvaeonic nasal spirant law.