kopeck

or ko·pek, co·peck

[ koh-pek ]

noun

1. an aluminum-bronze coin of Russia, the Soviet Union, and its successor states, one 100th of a ruble.

kopeck

/ ˈkəʊpɛk /

noun

1. a monetary unit of Russia and Belarus worth one hundredth of a rouble: coins are still used as tokens for coin-operated machinery although the kopeck itself is virtually valueless

Word History and Origins

Origin of kopeck¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Russian kopéĭka, equivalent to kopʾë “lance, spear” + -ka diminutive suffix; so called from the lance with which the figure on the coin was armed

Word History and Origins

Origin of kopeck¹

Russian kopeika, from kopye lance; so called because of the representation of Tsar Ivan IV on the coin with a lance in his hand

Example Sentences

He vowed to continue his fight, “despite the fact that I am under the control of people who like to smear everything with chemical weapons, and no one will give three kopecks for my life.”

From Washington Post

“We have received nothing. Not a ruble, not a kopeck,” they chanted.

From New York Times

“All this fuss about spies and counterspies is not worth interstate relations. This spy story, as we say here, is not worth 5 kopecks,” Putin told the Financial Times in an interview in the Kremlin.

From The Guardian

“Those who earned even one black kopeck by exploiting the army and the war will sit in prison for life,” she said at a Thursday news conference, adding that Poroshenko “simply laundered defense money.”

From Seattle Times

“There is no proof that Kirill put so much as a kopeck into his own pocket,” he said.

From New York Times