fivepenny

American  

[fahyv-pen-ee] / ˈfaɪvˌpɛn i /

adjective

1. noting a nail 1.75 inches (4.4 centimeters) long. 5d

2. worth five pence.

---

fivepenny British  

/ ˈfaɪvpənɪ /

adjective

1. (prenominal) (of a nail) one and three-quarters of an inch in length

---

Etymology

Origin of fivepenny

First recorded in 1790–1800; five + penny ( def. 6 )

Example Sentences

The dormitories, both of the fivepenny class on the ground floor and of the threepenny class upstairs, are kept scrupulously sweet and clean, and attached to them are lavatories and baths.

From Regeneration by Haggard, Henry Rider

A little fivepenny bit, my lord—the last trifle your honor's glory has in the corner of your pocket, that you 'll never miss, and that 'll sweeten ould Molly's tay to-night?

From The Fortunes Of Glencore by Lever, Charles James

For example, a threepenny nail is 1¼" long, a fourpenny nail is 1½" long, a fivepenny nail is 1¾" long, a sixpenny nail is 2" long.

From Handwork in Wood by Noyes, William

Fanny made a drawing of him, and he and his dogs sat for a fivepenny, which I honestly gave him for his and his dogs' tricks.

From The Life and Letters of Maria Edgeworth, Volume 1 by Hare, Augustus J. C.

Having written a fivepenny pamphlet, An Address to the Irish People, he stood in the balcony of his lodgings in Lower Sackville Street, and threw copies to the passers-by.

From The Art of Letters by Lynd, Robert