quintet
n.n. a group of five people or things. You usually hear this word when talking about a small musical group or a set of five related items.
n. a group of five people or things. Often used in musical contexts to describe an ensemble or in general contexts to refer to a set of five related items.
The jazz quintet played a great set last night.
The museum's collection includes a rare quintet of ancient coins from the same period.
While a quartet is the most common ensemble for string instruments, a quintet allows for a richer harmonic texture and more complex counterpoint in the performance.
From French quintette, from Italian quintetto, diminutive of quinto (“fifth”), itself from Latin quintus, related to quīnque (“five”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 20, 2026