penny

¹

[pen-ee]

noun

plural

pennies, pence 

1. a copper and zinc U.S. coin, worth one 100th of the U.S. dollar; one cent. Previous compositions of U.S. pennies included certain percentages of nickel and steel.

2. a coin worth one 100th of the dollar of various other nations, although several of these nations, as Australia and New Zealand, no longer use pennies.

3. Also called new penny. a copper-plated steel, formerly bronze, coin of the United Kingdom, one 100th of a pound. p

4. a former bronze coin and monetary unit of the United Kingdom and various other nations, one 12th of a shilling: use phased out in 1971. d.

5. a sum of money.

   He spent every penny he ever earned.

6. the length of a nail in terms of certain standard designations, as eightpenny and sixtypenny.

adjective

1. Stock Exchange.,  of, relating to, or being penny stock.

   frenzied speculation in the penny market.

Penny

²

[pen-ee]

noun

1. a female given name, form of Penelope.

penny

/ ˈpɛnɪ /

noun

1. Also called (formerly): new penny.  p. (in Britain) a bronze coin having a value equal to one hundredth of a pound

2. d. (in Britain before 1971) a bronze or copper coin having a value equal to one twelfth of a shilling or one two-hundred-and-fortieth of a pound

3. a former monetary unit of the Republic of Ireland worth one hundredth of a pound

4. (in the US and Canada) a cent

5. a coin of similar value, as used in several other countries

6. informal,  (used with a negative) the least amount of money

   I don't have a penny

7. informal,  an objectionable person or thing (esp in the phrase turn up like a bad penny )

8. informal,  a considerable sum of money

9. informal,  to urinate

10. informal,  the explanation of something was finally realized

11. plentiful but of little value

Other Word Forms

• pennied adjective
• unpennied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of penny¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English peni, Old English penig, pænig, pen(n)ning, pending, cognate with Old Frisian penning, panning, Old Saxon, Dutch penning, Old High German pfenning, phantinc, phenting ( German Pfennig ), Old Norse penningr (perhaps from Old English ); from unattested West Germanic or Germanic pandingaz, probably equivalent to unattested pand- + unattested -ingaz; -ing ³. The origin of spend a penny is from the former cost of using a public lavatory

Word History and Origins

Origin of penny¹

Old English penig, pening; related to Old Saxon penni ( n ) g, Old High German pfeni ( n ) c, German Pfennig

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. spend a penny, to urinate.

2. turn an honest penny, to earn one's living honestly; make money by fair means.

   He's never turned an honest penny in his life.

3. a pretty penny, a considerable sum of money.

   Their car must have cost them a pretty penny.

4. a bad penny, someone or something undesirable.

More idioms and phrases containing penny

• in for a penny, in for a pound
• pinch pennies
• pretty penny
• turn up (like a bad penny)

Example Sentences

The lengths Americans are willing to go to make every penny count.

Read more on MarketWatch

As families like Simpson’s get more creative in pinching their pennies, the companies are seeing dimmer sales compared with the steady growth they have enjoyed in recent years.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Those delayed retirement credits are worth a pretty penny.

Read more on MarketWatch

Every penny is vital now to keep the club running.

Read more on BBC

It is also illegal to melt down pennies, and such violations can lead to a $10,000 fine and/or jail time of up to five years.

Read more on MarketWatch