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fifth

 - 6 dictionary results

fifth

  [fifth or, often, fith]
–adjective
1. next after the fourth; being the ordinal number for five.
2. being one of five equal parts.
3. Automotive. of, pertaining to, or operating at the gear transmission ratio at which the drive shaft speed is greater than that of fourth gear for a given engine crankshaft speed: fifth gear.
–adverb
4. in the fifth place; fifthly.
–noun
5. a fifth part, esp. of one ( 1/5 ).
6. the fifth member of a series.
7. a fifth part of a gallon of liquor or spirits; 4/5 of a quart (about 750 milliliters).
8. Automotive. fifth gear.
9. Music.
a. a tone on the fifth degree from another tone (counted as the first).
b. the interval between such tones.
c. the harmonic combination of such tones.
—Idiom
10. take the Fifth, Informal. to decline on the basis of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to answer a question when testifying.
Use fifth in a Sentence
Origin:
bef. 1000; earlier fift, ME fifte, OE fīfta; -th by analogy with fourth, etc.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To fifth
fifth   (fĭfth)   
n.  

  1. The ordinal number matching the number five in a series.

  2. One of five equal parts.

  3. One fifth of a gallon or four fifths of a quart of liquor.

  4. Music

    1. A tone five degrees above or below a given tone in a diatonic scale.

    2. The interval between two such tones.

    3. The harmonic combination of two such tones.

    4. The dominant of a scale or key.

  5. Fifth The Fifth Amendment. Used with the.


[Middle English, from Old English fīfta; see penkwe in Indo-European roots.]
fifth adv. & adj., fifth'ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

fifth 
M.E. fift, from O.E. fifta, from fif "five." Altered 14c. by infl. of fourth. Meaning "fifth part of a gallon of liquor" is first recorded 1938, Amer.Eng. Fifth Avenue (in New York City) has been used figuratively for "elegance, taste" since at least 1858. Fifth column is 1936, from Gen. Emilio Mola's comment during the siege of Madrid during the Spanish Civil War, that he would take the city with his "fifth column" (quinta columna) in the city as well as his four columns of troops outside it. Fifth wheel "superfluous person or thing" first attested 1631.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

fifth (fĭfth)
adj.

  1. Coming after fourth, as in order, rank, or time.

  2. Being the outermost digit, as on a hand.

fifth n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Computing Dictionary

Fifth
An enhanced version of FORTH. M.S. Dissertation, Cliff Click , Texas A&M, 1985. Available from the Software Construction Co, (409)696-5432.

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Idioms & Phrases

fifth

In addition to the idioms beginning with fifth, also see take the fifth.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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