five
/faɪv/
numeral
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*pénkʷe — five
Overview
Meaning Now
- The cardinal number equivalent to the sum of four and one.
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
fīf
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word for five is one of the most stable roots in the Indo-European language family, showing remarkable consistency in its structure across thousands of years of evolution, reflecting the fundamental nature of counting in human societies.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*pénkʷe
“five”
- Proto-Germanic
*fimf
“five”
- Old English
fīf
“five”
Connections
Word parts
five
root
five
Related across languages
Greek
pénte
five
Sanskrit
páñca
five
Latin
quīnque
five
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Related to five
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.