English Lexicon

Quintain

/ˈkwɪn.tən/
nounCEFR C2 (Proficient)Top #45000 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

1 sense
As noun
  1. 1

    A medieval tilting post consisting of a rotating board on one side and a bag of sand or heavy weight on the other, used as a target for lancers.

    "The young knight rode swiftly toward the quintain, trying to strike the shield before the spinning sandbag could hit him in the back."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from the Old French quintaine, stemming from Latin quintana, meaning a street in a Roman camp where markets and exercises were held. Historically, it evolved to describe a post or target used for tilting exercises in medieval jousting tournaments.

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