Definition of "quintile" []

• The astrological aspect of planets distant from each other by 72° or one fifth of the zodiac. (noun)
• Statistics The portion of a frequency distribution containing one fifth of the total sample. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The lowest quintile is spending 14% more in 2005 than it was in 1985, the second quintile 16%, the third quintile 11%, the fourth 13%, and the top quintile is spending an additional 16%."
• "JT: If only the bottom quintile is benefited and the middle class stagnates, the median will not rise."
• "Forty percent of families filing for bankruptcy are in the second income quintile, which is above the poverty level but still struggling."