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No answer here: but in many philosophies (including, at least, a lot of post-Aristotelian Greek thinking), the `classical' elements is five. You need a quintessence: space or aether or something like that (something stellar in greek, but more mundane in most other schools) in the mix to make it really complete.

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But then beware, hold that name tightly lest it fall apart :-) In Sanskrit reaching the state of five (पञ्चत्व) is disintegration in so many words, and, today in some languages, a slightly jocular euphemism for death.

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