Forms: 3–7 sink, cink, 4–5 cynk, 4–7 sinke, 5–7 synk(e, 5–7 cinke, 6 sinque, cynque, 6–7 cinq, 6– cinque. [a. OF. cink, cine, mod.F. cinq (= Pr. cinc, It. cinque):—L. quinque five.]
1. The number five, as marked on dice; a throw in which the die turns up five.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Pard. T., 325. Seuene is my chaunce and thyn is cynk & treye [v.r. fyue and þre].
1509. Barclay, Shyp of Folys (1874), I. 295. Thoughe sys or synke them fayle The dyse oft renneth upon the chaunce of thre.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb. (1586), 103 b. Set them … in order like the Sinke upon a Die.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., II. xviii. 116. France and Italy are like a die, which hath no points betwixt sink and ace, Nobility and Pesantry.
1708. Motteux, Rabelais, V. x. (1737), 37. Cinques, Quaters, Treys, and Duces.
1870. Hardy & Ware, Mod. Hoyle (Warne), 142. [Backgam.], Throwing either quatre, cinque or six.
2. pl. ‘The name given by change-ringers to changes on eleven bells, probably from the fact that five pairs of bells change places in order of ringing in each successive change’ (Dict. Mus.).
1872. Ellacombe, Bells of Ch., iii. 41. They … rang a course of cinques on hand-bells.
† 3. Phr. To set at cinque and sice: ? to expose to great risks, to be reckless about. Cinque outposts, posts: the five senses (cf. CINQUE PORTS 2).
1535. Stewart, Cron. Scot., II. 44. Greit folie to set on synk and syss, The greit honour befoir the Romanis wan.
1568. Like Will to Like, in Hazl., Dodsley, III. 346. My sword, my buckler, and all at sink and cise.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1658), 137. Our Countrymen … for their carelessness of life, setting all at cinque and sice.
1649. Winter Dream, in Harl. Misc., VII. 203 (D.). I was fallen soundly asleep; the cinque-out-posts were shut up closer than usually.
1660. Howell, Parly of Beasts, 32 (D.). As if the Cinq-posts [printed -ports] (my five outward senses) had been trebly lockt up.
4. Comb., † cinque-petal, a flower with five petals; cinque-point (Backgammon), the fifth point from the end on either side of the board; † cinque-points, the ‘five points’ e.g., of Calvinism; cinque-spotted a., having five spots. See also CINQUEFOIL, CINQUEPACE, CINQUE PORTS.
1715. J. Petiver, in Phil. Trans., XXIX. 275. Plantæ. fl. pentapetalo, *Cinquepetals.
1664. H. More, Synopsis Proph., Pref. to Rdr. 201. Her moderation in the *cinq-points, her perfect freeness from all manner of superstitious and imposturous opinions.
1778. T. Jones, Hoyle’s Games Impr., 161. To secure your own or your Adversary’s *Cinque Point.
1870. Hardy & Ware, Mod. Hoyle (Warne), 141. [Backgam.] the first most advantageous throw is aces, as it … secures the cinque point in your inner table.
1611. Shaks., Cymb., II. ii. 38. On her left brest A mole *Cinque-spotted.
1817. Coleridge, Biog. Lit., 60. A … cinque-spotted shadow.
Cinque-and-quater, cinque-cater: see CINQUANTER.
