Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • An improper form of vives.
  • A kind of play with a ball, originally called hand-tennis: so named, it is said, because usually played with five on each side, or because three fives or 15 are counted to the game, or because the ball is struck with the hand or five fingers.
  • The five fingers; the hand; the fist.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun plural A kind of play with a ball against a wall, resembling tennis; -- so named because three fives, or fifteen, are counted to the game.
  • noun plural a place for playing fives.
  • noun A disease of the glands under the ear in horses; the vives.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Plural form of five.
  • noun chiefly UK a ball game, somewhat like tennis, played against a wall
  • noun poker slang A pair of fives.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a game resembling handball; played on a court with a front wall and two side walls

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word fives.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.