Definition

Noun: A quipu is a historical recording device consisting of a main cord from which many variously knotted and colored pendant cords are hung. It was used by the ancient Andean civilizations, notably the Inca, for administrative record-keeping, accounting, and possibly narrative information, serving as a complex system of communication and calculation.

Usage

The word quipu is used as a countable noun to refer to one of these specific artifacts. It is typically discussed in historical, archaeological, and anthropological contexts.

Examples

• Archaeologists discovered a well-preserved quipu in the tomb.
• The quipu was a sophisticated tool for managing the vast Inca empire.
• Researchers are still trying to fully decipher the codes within each quipu.

Advanced Usage

• As a system: The term can be used collectively to refer to the practice or technology.
  • The administration of the empire relied on the quipu.
• Figurative use: In modern contexts, it can be used metaphorically for a complex or knotty system of information.
  • The project's dependencies formed a modern managerial quipu.

Variants and Related Words

• Khipu: An alternative spelling, reflecting a closer phonetic approximation from Quechua.
• Talking knots: A descriptive phrase sometimes used for .

Synonyms

• Recording device
• Mnemonic device
• Accounting tool

Related Phrases/Idioms

• To read/tie the knots: While not a direct idiom with "quipu," this phrase conceptually relates to the act of interpreting or creating a 's data.
  • Only specially trained officials, the quipucamayocs, could read the knots.

Noun

1. calculator consisting of a cord with attached cords; used by ancient Peruvians for calculating and keeping records