Witches Cupboard Blog
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Why a Pentacle May Not Have Five Points

• May 11, 2011 11:31 pm

In a previous article, Differences Between the Pentacle and the Pentagram, we discussed the differences between these two commonly confused words. But is the explanation satisfactory? One main point of confusion is this… a pentacle doesn’t necessarily have five points. How can this be? It is a commonly known fact that Pent- means five… isn’t it? The etymology of a word is often not that simple. First we need to consider where the word came from.

From the Online Etymology Dictionary: pentacle 1590s, from M.L. pentaculum, a hybrid coined from Gk. pente “five” + L. -culum, dim. suffix. But the exact origin is obscure. It. had pentacolo “anything with five points,” and Fr. pentacle (16c.) was the name of something used in necromancy, perhaps a five-branched candlestick. Fr. pentacol “amulet worn around the neck” (14c.), however, is from pend- “to hang” + a “to” + col “neck.” The same figure as a pentagram, except in magical usage, where is has been extended to other symbols of power, including a six-point star.

Now we start to understand the confusion. We are accustomed to the Greek “pente” and therefore associate the number five with the pentacle. Additionally, the French offers us a direct connection between pentacles and magick with its usage referring to a tool of necromancy. However, the French also offers us an association that I feel is most closely tied to our modern usage and understanding, as well as the usage and understanding demonstrated in surviving texts, the pentacle (or pentacol) meaning “amulet worn around the neck.”

From the Theosophical Society Pantacle or Pentacle An amulet, talisman, a geometrical figure so used. There is much confusion as to the derivation of this word, but it seems most likely that it comes through Italian and French from the root pend- “to hang,” and so is equivalent to a pendant or charm hung about the neck. From the fact that one form of pentacle was the pentagram or star-pentagon, the word itself has been connected with the Greek pente (five). The word is used specially in The Secret Doctrine to denote the pentagram or pentalpha. The Solomon’s seal is another pentacle, and there are many others, including the sigils of the seven planets.

I believe that the etymology effectively demonstrates that a “pentacle” describes an amulet of more, less, or equal to five points. Further proof that a pentagram may be a pentacle, but a pentacle isn’t necessarily a pentagram. Clear as mud right?

Happy Casting!

~Anyanka

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Related posts:

1. Differences Between the Pentacle and the Pentagram

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