English
pentagon
Pentagon comes from Late Latin pentagōnum ‘pentaphyllon, cinquefoil’, from Ancient Greek πεντάγωνος ‘five-angled’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷe.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pénkʷe‘five’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCEsame form‘five’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπέντεpénte‘five’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπεντάγωνοςpentágōnos‘five-angled’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπεντάγωνονpentágōnon
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEpentagōnum‘pentaphyllon, cinquefoil’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600pentagone
- Englishearliest quotation 1884pentagon
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pénkʷe‘five’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCEsame form‘five’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπέντεpénte‘five’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπεντάγωνοςpentágōnos‘five-angled’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEπεντάγωνονpentágōnon
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEpentagōnum‘pentaphyllon, cinquefoil’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600pentagone
- Englishearliest quotation 1884pentagon
Earliest quotation: 1884, A Square pseudonym; Edwin A. Abbott, Flatland […]: “Imagine a vast sheet of paper on which straight…”
Formed from penta + gon
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷe ‘five’
five, fifth, finger, punch, fin, pimp, quintet, cinque, quint, quine, 22 more
Today it means
noun A polygon with five sides and five angles.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pénkʷe / pentagon