The name given to Intel's P5 chip, the successor to the 80486. The
name was chosen because of difficulties Intel had in trademarking a
number. It suggests the number five (implying 586) while (according to
Intel) conveying a meaning of strength “like titanium”. Among
hackers, the plural is frequently ‘pentia’. See also
Pentagram Pro.
Intel did not stick to this convention when naming its P6 processor
the Pentium Pro; many believe this is due to difficulties in selling a chip
with “hex” or “sex” in its name. Successor chips
have been called Pentium II,
Pentium III, and Pentium IV.
