Pentaspaston

Latin-English

pentaspast|on, -ī. (pen.tasˈpas.ton) neut.

1. A five-wheeled pulley system.

[Greek πεντάσπαστον [ὄργανον] "quintuply-pulled [machine]".]

Loci

• αʹ Vitruvius, De Architectura 10.2:

Cum vero in ima troclea duo orbiculi, in superiore tres versantur, id pentaspaston dicitur.

But it is called a pentaspaston when there are two sheaves turning in the bottom block and three in the upper one.