Susan mulligan, age 12, of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, for her question:

What are the cinque ports of England?

With two more letters, cinq becomes cinques    the French word for five. The cinque ports of England date back to the Norman Conquest of 1066, when the conquerers attempted to impose their native French language on the British. The original idea was an agreement between the king and certain port cities facing the shores of France. In the 13th century, this was clarified in official charters. The towns involved were called cinque ports because there were five of them    Hastings, Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich.

The charters called for military and other assistance to the king in return for tax privileges and maritime courts with rights to bypass the admiralty courts. The plan must have worked well, because gradually more than a score of other cinque ports were added to the original five. Gradually, their important functions waned, though certain customs and privileges still survive. The powerful cinque port wardens of the past have become honorary offices. But cinque port courts still try maritime cases and retain certain salvage claims.