five

Etymology

PIE word *pénkʷe From Middle English five, vif, fif, 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, punch, pimp, and Pompeii. The nasal *m in Proto-Germanic *fimf was lost through a sound change known as the Ingvaeonic nasal spirant law.

num

1. A numerical value equal to 5; the number following four and preceding six.
   The r-stems had apparently been reduced to the five nuclear kinship terms that still survive in Modern English. 2006, Donald Ringe, From Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Germanic (A Linguistic History of English; 1), Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 197
2. Describing a group or set with five elements.

noun

1. The digit/figure 5.
   He wrote a five followed by four zeroes.
2. A banknote with a denomination of five units of currency. See also fiver.
   Can anyone here change a five?
3. Anything measuring five units, as length.
   All the fives are over there in the corner, next to the fours.
4. A person who is five years old.
   The fives and sixes will have a snack first, then the older kids.
5. Five o'clock.
   See you at five.
6. A short rest, especially one of five minutes.
   Take five, soldier.
7. (basketball) A basketball team, club or lineup.