Quinquenta

Quinquenta is a Latin term meaning fifty. In Latin, it functions as an adjective or substantive referring to the number fifty and is found in both classical and medieval texts, though its exact spelling is variable. The standard classical form is quinquāgintā (often written quinquāgintā or quinquaginta), while quinquenta is a later, sometimes dialectal or clerical variant that appears in some manuscripts. The term is derived from the base quinque ‘five’ and agintā ‘ten’, effectively combining to fifty.

In use, quinquenta may appear in enumerations, dates, or durations where fifty is being described, such as in lists, chronicles, or calendrical notes. In modern scholarship, quinquenta appears primarily in Latin sources or discussions about Latin numerals, rather than as a contemporary counting form. The term is related to other numeral formations such as quinquagesima and quinquagesimus, which are used in ecclesiastical or liturgical contexts to denote the fiftieth, or fifty-eighth, elements in a sequence.

In reception outside Latin, the form quinquenta is sometimes encountered in historical or philological writings as a representation of fifty in Latin-based scholarship. It is not commonly used in modern general English, but may appear in translations or annotations of Latin texts.

See also: quinquagintā, quinquagesima, quinquennial.