quintuple
UK[kwɪnˈtjuːpl̩]US[kwɪnˈtuːpl̩]
adj
consisting of five parts or things
adj
five times as much or as many
v
to multiply or be multiplied by five
Morpheme Breakdown
quint
(u)ple
quint
five
(u)ple
fold
Etymology
the word 'quintuple' is a modern formation built directly from classical latin elements. the first part, 'quint-', derives from 'quintus', the ordinal number for 'fifth', which itself comes from the earlier cardinal 'quinque' (five). the second element, '-uple', is a reduced form of the latin suffix '-plus', meaning 'fold', which is related to the root '-plex' as seen in 'complex' (folded together). thus, the literal construction 'quintuple' logically means 'fivefold'. this pattern of combining a latin number with '-uple' was established in english (e.g., double, triple, quadruple) to systematically denote multiplication or a set of a specific number.
Analysis
Structure: quint (five) + (u)ple (fold)
quint originates from latin 'quintus', meaning 'fifth'. (u)ple originates from latin '-plus', a suffix meaning 'fold' or 'times', via the latin root '-plex'.
Examples
the company aims to quintuple its revenue within the next decade.
they are a quintuple alliance of five neighboring states.
if you quintuple the recipe, remember to adjust the baking time accordingly.