Where does “quintet” come from?

Quintet comes from French quintette, from Italian quintetto, from Italian quinto meaning fifth, from Latin quintus, from Latin quinque meaning five, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷe.

quintet (English): A composition in five parts; A group of five...

Definitions

  1. A composition in five parts; A group of five...

Ancestry of “quintet”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchquintettequintet; A composition for five voices or...
2Italianquintettoquintet
3Italianquintofifth
4LatinQuīntus—
5Latinplicōto fold, bend or flex; to roll up
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpleḱ-to fold, plait, weave
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleḱ- →Every word from Latin plicō →
quintet — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer