penny

See also Penny

English

A 2005 US penny

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpɛ.ni/, X-SAMPA: /pE.ni/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛni

Etymology

From Old English penning, penniġ, from Proto-Germanic *panningaz, of uncertain origin.

Noun

penny (plural pennies when referring to individual coins; (UK) pence when referring to an amount of money)

1. (historical) In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a copper coin worth 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation. Abbreviation: d.
2. In the United Kingdom, a copper coin worth 1/100 of a pound sterling.
3. (historical) In Ireland, a coin worth 1/100 of an Irish pound before the introduction of the euro. Abbreviation: p.
4. In the US and Canada, a one-cent coin, worth 1/100 of a dollar. Abbreviation: ¢.
5. In various countries, a small denomination copper or brass coin.
6. A unit of nail size, said to be either the cost per 100 nails, or the number of nails per penny. Abbreviation: d.

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)

eightpenny nail fourpenny nail pence penniless penny ante

penny arcade penny dreadful penny-farthing penny for one's thoughts penny pincher

penny whistle sixpenny nail tenpenny nail

Translations

1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound

• French: penny (fr) m
• Irish: pingin (ga) f
• Jèrriais: pénîn m
• Luhya: litong'olo
• Macedonian: пени (mk) (péni) n
• Marathi: पेनी (mr) (penī)

• Russian: пенни (ru) (pénni) n, пенс (ru) (pens) m
• Spanish: penique (es) m
• Swahili: peni (sw)
• Volapük: pänid (vo)
• Welsh: ceiniog (cy)

1/100 of a pound sterling or British pound

• Arabic: بنس (ar) (bins) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 便士 (cmn) (biànshì)

• Czech: cent (cs), penny (cs)
• Dutch: penny (nl) m
• Finnish: penny (fi)
• French: penny (fr) m
• German: Penny (de) m
• Hungarian: penny (hu)
• Irish: pingin (ga) f
• Japanese: ペニー (ja) (penī)
• Jèrriais: pénîn m

• Korean: 페니 (ko) (peni)
• Macedonian: пени (mk) (péni) n
• Marathi: पेनी (mr) (penī)
• Portuguese: pêni (pt) m (B), péni (pt) m (P)
• Russian: пенни (ru) (pénni) n, пенс (ru) (pens) m
• Scottish Gaelic: sgillinn (gd) f
• Spanish: penique (es) m
• Swedish: penny (sv) c
• Turkish: peni (tr)
• Volapük: pänid (vo)
• Welsh: ceiniog (cy)

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)

1. (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.

2. (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.

See also

• d
• the penny drops

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from English

Noun

penny m (plural pennys)

1. penny