Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Penny
Pen′ny
(pĕn′ny̆)
, Adj.
[Perh. a corruption of
pun
, for pound
.] Denoting the weight in pounds for one thousand; – used in combination, with respect to nails;
as, ten
. penny
nails, nails of which one thousand weight ten poundsPen-ny
,Noun.
pl.
Pennies
(#)
or Pence
(pĕns)
. Pennies denotes the number of coins; pence the amount of pennies in value. [OE.
peni
, AS. penig
, pening
, pending
; akin to D. penning
, OHG. pfenning
, pfenting
, G. pfennig
, Icel. penningr
; of uncertain origin.] 1.
A former English coin, originally of copper, then of bronze, the twelfth part of an English shilling in account value, and equal to four farthings, or about two cents; – usually indicated by the abbreviation
d.
(the initial of denarius). ☞ “The chief Anglo-Saxon coin, and for a long period the only one, corresponded to the denarius of the Continent . . . [and was] called penny, denarius, or denier.”
R. S. Poole.
The ancient silver penny was worth about three pence sterling (see Pennyweight
). The old Scotch penny was only one twelfth the value of the English coin. In the United States the word penny is popularly used for cent. 2.
Any small sum or coin; a groat; a stiver.
Shak.
3.
Money, in general;
as, to turn an honest
. penny
What
What men provided, what munition sent?
penny
hath Rome borne,What men provided, what munition sent?
Shakespeare
4.
(Script.)
See
Denarius
. Penny cress
(Bot.)
, an annual herb of the Mustard family, having round, flat pods like silver pennies (
Thlaspi arvense
). Also spelled pennycress
. Dr. Prior.
– Penny dog
(Zool.)
, a kind of shark found on the South coast of Britain: the tope.
– Penny pincher
, Penny father
a penurious person; a miser; a niggard. The latter phrase is now obsolete.
Robinson (More’s Utopia).
– Penny grass
(Bot.)
, pennyroyal.
[R.]
– Penny post
, a post carrying a letter for a penny; also, a mail carrier.
– Penny wise
, wise or prudent only in small matters; saving small sums while losing larger; penny-wise; – used chiefly in the phrase, penny wise and pound foolish.
Pen′ny
,Adj.
Worth or costing one penny;
as,
. penny
candyWebster 1828 Edition
Penny
PEN'NY
,Noun.
plu.
1.
An ancient English silver coin; but now an imaginary money of account, twelve of which are equal to a shilling. It is the radical denomination from which English coin is numbered.2.
In ancient English statutes, any or all silver money.3.
Proverbially, a small sum. He will not lend a penny.4.
Money in general. Be sure to turn the penny.
Definition 2024
Penny
penny
penny
See also: Penny
English
A 2005 US penny
Usage notes
If authenticity is desired for texts dating from before 1971, compounds (twopenny, threepenny, fourpenny and so on up to tenpenny but no further) should be read with the stress on the first syllable and a reduced [ɛ] in penny. Thus /ˈtupni/ˈθɹɛpni/ˈfɔpni/ and so on. Texts from after 1971 should be read giving [ɛ] its full value.
Noun
penny (plural pennies or pence)
- (historical) In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a copper coin worth 1⁄240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation. Abbreviation: d.
- 1915, Mrs. Belloc Lowndes, The Lodger, chapter I:
- Thanks to that penny he had just spent so recklessly [on a newspaper] he would pass a happy hour, taken, for once, out of his anxious, despondent, miserable self. It irritated him shrewdly to know that these moments of respite from carking care would not be shared with his poor wife, with careworn, troubled Ellen.
- 1915, Mrs. Belloc Lowndes, The Lodger, chapter I:
- In the United Kingdom, a copper coin worth 1⁄100 of a pound sterling. Abbreviation: p.
- (historical) In Ireland, a coin worth 1⁄100 of an Irish pound before the introduction of the euro. Abbreviation: p.
- In the US and Canada, a one-cent coin, worth 1⁄100 of a dollar. Abbreviation: ¢.
- In various countries, a small-denomination copper or brass coin.
- A unit of nail size, said to be either the cost per 100 nails, or the number of nails per penny. Abbreviation: d.
- Money in general.
- to turn an honest penny
- William Shakespeare (c.1564–1616)
- What penny hath Rome borne, / What men provided, what munition sent?
Usage notes
The plural pence is used as a unit of currency. The plural is pennies is used for other cases, in particular when referring to multiple individual coins. If authenticity is desired for texts dating from before 1971, compounds (twopence, threepence, fourpence and so on up to tenpence but no further) should be read with the stress on the first syllable and a reduced [ɛ] in pence. Thus /ˈtupəns/ˈθɹɛpəns/ˈfɔpəns/ and so on. Texts from after 1971 should be read giving [ɛ] its full value.
Synonyms
- (1⁄240 of a pound sterling): old penny
- (1⁄100 of a pound sterling): new penny (old-fashioned)
- (one-cent coin): cent
Derived terms
Terms derived from penny (noun)
Translations
1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
|
one-cent coin in US and Canada — see cent
Verb
penny (third-person singular simple present pennies, present participle pennying, simple past and past participle pennied)
- (slang) To jam a door shut by inserting pennies between the doorframe and the door.
- Zach and Ben had only been at college for a week when their door was pennied by the girls down the hall.
- (electronics) To circumvent the tripping of an electrical circuit breaker by the dangerous practice of inserting a coin in place of a fuse in a fuse socket.