kwint

Kwint is a term primarily found in Dutch-language sources with several related meanings. In music theory, kwint denotes the interval of a perfect fifth between two pitches. The term corresponds to the German Quint and the English “fifth” and is used in Dutch pedagogical and historical writings to describe harmony, voice leading, and the circle of fifths.

Beyond music, kwint can denote one fifth of a whole, appearing in older or dialectal Dutch when discussing fractions. In modern standard Dutch, expressions for a fifth fraction more commonly use the words vijfde or vijfde deel, while kwint persists in historical texts and regional speech.

Kwint also appears as a surname or as part of place names in Dutch-speaking regions; in such uses it is unrelated to the musical or fractional senses.

Because kwint is primarily a Dutch term, English-language sources often render it as quint or quinta when discussing the musical interval, and as “one fifth” in broader fractional contexts. The word’s usage reflects its linguistic origins and its role in historical and regional discussions of music and mathematics.