guinea

¹ American  

[gin-ee] / ˈgɪn i /

noun

1. a former money of account of the United Kingdom, equal to 21 shillings: still often used in quoting fees or prices.

2. a gold coin of Great Britain issued from 1663 to 1813, with a nominal value of 20 shillings.

3. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a person of Italian birth or descent.

4. Horse Racing. a person who does miscellaneous work in or around a horse stable.

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Guinea ² American  

[gin-ee] / ˈgɪn i /

noun

1. a coastal region in western Africa, extending from the Gambia River to the Gabon estuary.

2. Formerly French Guinea.  an independent republic in western Africa, on the Atlantic coast. About 96,900 sq. mi. (251,000 sq. km). Conakry.

3. Gulf of Guinea, a part of the Atlantic Ocean that projects into the western coast of Africa and extends from the Ivory Coast to Gabon.

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Guinea ¹ British  

/ ˈɡɪnɪ /

noun

1. a republic in West Africa, on the Atlantic: established as the colony of French Guinea in 1890 and became an independent republic in 1958. Official language: French. Religion: Muslim majority and animist. Currency: franc. Capital: Conakry. Pop: 11 176 026 (2013 est). Area: 245 855 sq km (94 925 sq miles)

2. (formerly) the coastal region of West Africa, between Cape Verde and Namibe (formerly Moçâmedes; Angola): divided by a line of volcanic peaks into Upper Guinea (between The Gambia and Cameroon) and Lower Guinea (between Cameroon and S Angola)

3. a large inlet of the S Atlantic on the W coast of Africa, extending from Cape Palmas, Liberia, to Cape Lopez, Gabon: contains two large bays, the Bight of Bonny and the Bight of Benin, separated by the Niger delta

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guinea ² British  

/ ˈɡɪnɪ /

noun

1. 1. a British gold coin taken out of circulation in 1813, worth 21 shillings

   2. the sum of 21 shillings (£1.05), still used in some contexts, as in quoting professional fees

2. See guinea fowl

3. slang an Italian or a person of Italian descent

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Guinea Cultural  

1. Republic in west Africa, bordered by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Mali to the north; Ivory Coast to the east; Liberia to the south; and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its capital and largest city is Conarky.

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Discover More

Guinea was once part of the Mali empire.

It became independent of France in 1958.

Other Word Forms

• Guinean adjective

Etymology

Origin of guinea

C16: the coin was originally made of gold from Guinea

Example Sentences

Of the early days of the division, Berman says, “We were making these rules up as we go, and our clients were the guinea pigs.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

It will have four astronauts aboard serving mainly as guinea pigs to validate life-support systems and collect biomedical data.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

In its early days, the park hoped to establish a “pet lending library,” and briefly advertised that guests could borrow rats, guinea pigs, lizards, snakes, foxes and more for a two-week period.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

More adventurous eaters will zone in on the abalone served with a squash rosette or the guinea hen with potato millefeuille.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2025

“Llewelyn said that there were strange things happening in the Red Woods,” Glory told the guinea pig.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova