quinta

fifth

numeral noun KWEE-ntah Rare

Origin: From Latin quintus (fifth).

Also means

wing (theatre)

Usage Note

Quinta as a numeral/ordinal is the feminine of quinto ('fifth'). As a noun (feminine) it refers to a theatre wing or flat (le quinte = the wings/flats of a stage), and to the fifth gear in a car: metti la quinta ('put it in fifth gear'). The phrase dietro le quinte ('behind the scenes') is a common idiom.

Examples

"L'attore aspettava dietro le quinte."

Natural Translation

The actor was waiting in the wings.

Literal Translation

The actor waited behind the wings.

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