penny

CEFRA2

/ˈpɛni/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A small unit of money in Britain or the United States.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    In Ireland, a coin worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of an Irish pound before the introduction of the euro. Abbreviation: p.

Examples

  • I bet Dave paid a pretty penny for his new car.

  • A penny for your thoughts.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
2

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. In the United Kingdom and Ireland and many other countries, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₂₄₀ of a pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: d.

  2. In the United Kingdom, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a pound sterling, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: p.

  3. In the US and (formerly) Canada, a one-cent coin, worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a dollar. Abbreviation: ¢.

More examples

In context

  • Zach and Ben had only been at college for a week when their door was pennied by the girls down the hall.

  • Penny wise, pound foolish.

  • You got pennied! Down it, fresher.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

She found a single blank on the sidewalk and picked it up, thinking it unlucky to leave.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English peny, from Old English peniġ, penniġ, penning (“penny”), from Proto-West Germanic *panning, from Proto-Germanic *panningaz, of uncertain origin (see that page for theories). Doublet of pfennig and fening.