half dime

noun

1. a silver coin of the U.S., equal to five cents, issued 1794–1805 and 1829–73.

Word History and Origins

Origin of half dime¹

An Americanism dating back to 1785–95

Example Sentences

After enduring barbs throughout the first half, Dime approached a heckler from Colorado’s student section, pretended like he was going to shake his hand, then slapped him across the face — apparently making contact with another student on the follow-through.

From Seattle Times

The so-called “half dime” had been around since the 1790s.

From Time

This gives .2827+ of a square inch as the area of the surface of one side, and, therefore, the whole Bible might be written more than two and a quarter times on one side of either the gold dollar or the silver half dime.

From Project Gutenberg

He has now an old silver half dime that he found in an abandoned stage station on the Oregon trail, when on a buffalo hunt.

From Project Gutenberg

In Hard Times, Dreams of Easy Money Sales of metal detectors and lottery tickets rise as employment and average wages stagnate Many metal detector enthusiasts never find more than old bottle caps, a few dollars in loose change, and some cheap jewelry in their searches, but on the afternoon of Aug. 14, in a horse pasture near Ridgeland, S.C., relic hunter Laszlo Eles unearthed what he believes to be a more valuable find: a silver half dime from 1795, minted when George Washington was President.

From BusinessWeek