name
Meaning 1
A diminutive of the female given name Penelope.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
penny
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈpɛni/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɛni
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General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpɛni/
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General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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pin-pen-merger: /ˈpɪni/
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/pəni/ In compounds like twopenny, dated
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CMU ARPABET: P EH1 N IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
name
Meaning 2
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 3
A place name, presumably all taken from the surname:
An unincorporated community in Calloway County, Kentucky, United States.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 4
A place name, presumably all taken from the surname:
An unincorporated community in Pike County, Kentucky.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 5
A place name, presumably all taken from the surname:
A small community on the Fraser River in central British Columbia, Canada.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
In the United Kingdom, a unit of currency worth 1⁄100 of a pound sterling, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: p.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
In Ireland, a coin worth 1⁄100 of an Irish pound before the introduction of the euro. Abbreviation: p.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: historical
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
In the US and (formerly) Canada, a one-cent coin, worth 1⁄100 of a dollar. Abbreviation: ¢.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
In various countries, a small-denomination copper or brass coin.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
A unit of nail size, said to be either the cost per 100 nails, or the number of nails per penny. Abbreviation: d.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 12
Money in general.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- to turn an honest penny
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 13
To jam a door shut by inserting pennies between the doorframe and the door.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang
Examples
- Zach and Ben had only been at college for a week when their door was pennied by the girls down the hall.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 14
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: business, electrical-engineering, electricity, electromagnetism, electronics, energy, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 15
During a meal or as part of a drinking game, to drop a penny in a person's drink with the expectation that they finish it (or some such variation thereof); commonly associated with crewdates at Oxford and swaps at Cambridge.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: Oxbridge slang
Examples
- You got pennied! Down it, fresher.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 16
a coin worth one-hundredth of the value of the basic unit
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cent, centime
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: coin
Narrower terms: copper, new penny
noun
Meaning 17
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: fractional monetary unit, subunit
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English Pen(elope) Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English Penny From Pen(elope) + -y.
Etymology tree Pre-Greekder.? Ancient Greek πατάνη (patánē)bor. Latin patina Latin panna? Latin pannus? Proto-Indo-European *-n̥kwo-der.? Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Germanic *-īnaz Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz ? Proto-Germanic *-ingaz Proto-Germanic *panningaz Proto-West Germanic *panning Old English peniġ Middle English peny English penny 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.
Across languages
Translations
65 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: пени (peni) — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Finnish: penny — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- French: penny — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Hindi: पेनी (penī) — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Irish: pingin — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Lithuanian: pensas — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Luhya: litong'olo — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Macedonian: пе́ни (péni) — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Malay: peni — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Marathi: पेनी (penī) — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Norman: pénîn — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Norwegian Bokmål: penny — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Polish: pens — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Portuguese: pêni — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Russian: пе́нни (pénni) — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Russian: пенс (pens) — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Spanish: penique — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Swahili: peni — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Volapük: pänid — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Welsh: ceiniog — 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
- Afrikaans: pennie — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Arabic: بِنْس (bins) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Asturian: penique — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Bulgarian: пени (peni) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Chinese Mandarin: 便士 (biànshì) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Czech: cent — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Czech: penny — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Dutch: penny — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Esperanto: penco — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Finnish: penny — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- French: penny — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- German: Penny — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Hebrew: פֶּנִי (péni) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Hindi: पेनी (penī) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Hindi: पेन्स (pens) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Hungarian: penny — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Irish: pingin — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Irish: pinginí — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Irish: pingneacha — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Irish: pingineacha — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Japanese: ペニー (penī) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Korean: 페니 (peni) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Lithuanian: pensas — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Macedonian: пе́ни (péni) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Malay: peni — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Māori: kapa — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Māori: pene — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Marathi: पेनी (penī) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Marathi: पेन्स (pensa) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Norman: pénîn — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Norwegian Bokmål: penny — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Polish: pens — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Portuguese: pêni (B) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Portuguese: péni (P) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Russian: пе́нни (pénni) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Russian: пенс (pens) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Scottish Gaelic: sgillinn — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Spanish: penique — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Swedish: penny — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Thai: เพนนี (peen-nii) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Turkish: peni — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Uyghur: پەنى (peni) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Uyghur: پەنس (pens) — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Volapük: pänid — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
- Welsh: ceiniog — 1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound
Real reading context