quints
Definition
- Noun (plural):
- A set of five offspring born from the same pregnancy: "quints" is an informal shortening of "quintuplets," referring to five children or animals born at a single birth.
Usage Examples
- (They gave birth to five babies at once.)
- (All five quintuplets are in good health.)
Advanced Usage
- "Quints" is used primarily in informal, conversational, or news contexts, often as a shorthand in headlines or family discussions.
- It can refer to human babies or, less commonly, animal offspring.
- The zoo announced the birth of lion quints. (Five lion cubs were born together.)
Variants and Related Words
- Quintuplet (n): the full, formal term for one of five offspring born at the same birth.
- Each quintuplet weighed about two pounds at birth. (Each of the five babies.)
- Quint (n): an even shorter, rare variant of "quints," used similarly.
- She is one of the famous quints from the 1990s. (One of the quintuplets.)
Synonyms
- Five babies: a descriptive phrase, not a direct synonym, but used interchangeably in context.
- Multiple births: a broader term for births of two or more offspring (e.g., twins, triplets, quads, quints).
Related Idioms
- "A handful of quints": an informal way to describe the challenge of caring for five babies at once.
- Raising quints is a handful of work. (It is very demanding.)
Phrasal Verbs
- (None commonly associated with "quints" as a noun.)