five

[fahyv] /faɪv/
noun
1.
a cardinal number, four plus one.
2.
a symbol for this number, as 5 or V.
3.
a set of this many persons or things.
4.
a playing card, die face, or half of a domino face with five pips.
5.
Informal. a five-dollar bill:
Can you give me two fives for a ten?
adjective
6.
amounting to five in number.
Idioms
7.
take five, Informal. to take a brief respite.
Origin
before 1000; 1925-30 for def 7; Middle English; Old English fīf; cognate with Dutch vijf, German fünf, Old Norse fimm, Gothic fimf, Latin quīnque, Greek pénte, Sanskrit pancha
British Dictionary definitions for take five

five

/faɪv/
noun
1.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
2.
a numeral, 5, V, etc, representing this number
3.
the amount or quantity that is one greater than four
4.
something representing, represented by, or consisting of five units, such as a playing card with five symbols on it
determiner
5.
  1. amounting to five: five minutes, five nights
  2. (as pronoun): choose any five you like, related prefixes penta- quinque-
See also fives
Word Origin
Old English fīf; related to Old Norse fimm, Gothic fimf, Old High German finf, Latin quinque, Greek pente, Sanskrit pañca
Word Origin and History for take five

five

n.

Old English fif, from Proto-Germanic *fimfe (cf. Old Frisian and Old Saxon fif, Dutch vijf, Old Norse fimm, Old High German funf, Gothic fimf), from PIE *penkwe- (cf. Sanskrit panca, Greek pente, Latin quinque, Old Church Slavonic peti, Lithuanian penke, Old Welsh pimp). The sound shift that removed the *-m- is a regular development involving Old English, Old Frisian, and Old Saxon (cf. thought, from stem of think; couth from *kunthaz; us from *uns.

Slang five-finger discount "theft" is from 1966. Five o'clock shadow attested by 1937. The original five-year plan was 1928 in the U.S.S.R.

Slang definitions & phrases for take five

take five

verb phrase

To take a short respite from work; take a break

[1929+; about the time it takes to smoke a cigarette]


five

noun

The hand; the five fingers (1950s+ Jive talk)

Related Terms

give someone five, hang five, nine-to-five, slip (or give) me five, take five


Idioms and Phrases with take five

take five

Relax, take some time off from what one is doing, as in We've been at it long enough; let's take five. This term is short for “take five minutes off.” [ ; first half of 1900s ]
For a synonym, see take a break

five

see: take five