Cinquefoil

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Cinquefoil \Cinque"foil`\, n. [Cinque five + foil, F. feuille
     leaf. See {Foil}.]
     1. (Bot.) The name of several different species of the genus
        {Potentilla}; -- also called {five-finger}, because of the
        resemblance of its leaves to the fingers of the hand.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. (Arch.) An ornamental foliation having five points or
        cups, used in windows, panels, etc. --Gwilt.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Marsh cinquefoil}, the {Potentilla palustris}, a plant with
        purple flowers which grows in fresh-water marshes.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  cinquefoil
       n 1: any of a numerous plants grown for their 5-petal flowers;
            abundant in temperate regions; alleged to have medicinal
            properties [syn: {five-finger}]
       2: an ornamental carving consisting of five arcs arranged in a
          circle