Definitions for penny
ˈpɛn ipen·ny

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. pennynoun

   a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound

2. penny, cent, centimenoun

   a coin worth one-hundredth of the value of the basic unit

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. pennynoun

   In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a copper coin worth 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation. Abbreviation: d.

   Etymology: From penning, pennig, from panningaz, of origin.

2. pennynoun

   In the United Kingdom, a copper coin worth 1/100 of a pound sterling.

   Etymology: From penning, pennig, from panningaz, of origin.

3. pennynoun

   In Ireland, a coin worth 1/100 of an Irish pound before the introduction of the euro. Abbreviation: p.

   Etymology: From penning, pennig, from panningaz, of origin.

4. pennynoun

   In the US and Canada, a one-cent coin, worth 1/100 of a dollar. Abbreviation: u00A2.

   Etymology: From penning, pennig, from panningaz, of origin.

5. pennynoun

   In various countries, a small denomination copper or brass coin.

   Etymology: From penning, pennig, from panningaz, of origin.

6. pennynoun

   A unit of nail size, said to be either the cost per 100 nails, or the number of nails per penny. Abbreviation: d.

   Etymology: From penning, pennig, from panningaz, of origin.

7. pennyverb

   To jam a door shut by inserting pennies between the doorframe and the door.

   Zach and Ben had only been at college for a week when their door was pennied by the girls down the hall.

   Etymology: From penning, pennig, from panningaz, of origin.

8. pennyverb

   To circumvent the tripping of an electrical circuit breaker by the dangerous practice of inserting a coin in place of a fuse in a fuse socket.

   Etymology: From penning, pennig, from panningaz, of origin.

9. Pennynoun

   A diminutive of the female given name Penelope.

   Etymology: From penning, pennig, from panningaz, of origin.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Pennyadjective

   denoting pound weight for one thousand; -- used in combination, with respect to nails; as, tenpenny nails, nails of which one thousand weight ten pounds

   Etymology: [Perh. a corruption of pun, for pound.]

2. Pennynoun

   an English coin, formerly of copper, now of bronze, the twelfth part of an English shilling in account value, and equal to four farthings, or about two cents; -- usually indicated by the abbreviation d. (the initial of denarius)

   Etymology: [Perh. a corruption of pun, for pound.]

3. Pennynoun

   any small sum or coin; a groat; a stiver

   Etymology: [Perh. a corruption of pun, for pound.]

4. Pennynoun

   money, in general; as, to turn an honest penny

   Etymology: [Perh. a corruption of pun, for pound.]

5. Pennynoun

   see Denarius

   Etymology: [Perh. a corruption of pun, for pound.]

6. Pennyadjective

   worth or costing one penny

   Etymology: [Perh. a corruption of pun, for pound.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Penny

   A penny is a coin or a unit of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Penny

   pen′i, n. a copper coin (bronze since 1860), originally silver=1⁄12 of a shilling, or four farthings: a small sum: money in general: (N.T.) a silver coin=7½d.: pound, in fourpenny, sixpenny, tenpenny nails=four, six, ten pound weight to the thousand:—pl. Pennies (pen′iz), denoting the number of coins; Pence (pens), the amount of pennies in value.—adjs. Penn′ied, possessed of a penny; Penn′iless, without a penny: without money: poor.—ns. Penn′ilessness; Penn′y-a-lin′er, one who writes for a public journal at so much a line: a writer for pay; Penn′y-a-lin′erism, hack-writing; Penn′y-dog, the tope or miller's dog, a kind of shark; Penn′y-post, a means of carrying a letter for a penny; Penn′y-rent, income; Penn′yweight, twenty-four grains of troy weight (the weight of a silver penny); Penn′y-wis′dom, prudence in petty matters.—adj. Penn′y-wise, saving small sums at the risk of larger: niggardly on improper occasions.—ns. Penn′y-worth, a penny's worth of anything: the amount that can be given for a penny: a good bargain—also Penn′'orth (coll.); Pē′ter's-pence, the name given to an old tribute offered to the Roman Pontiff, now a voluntary contribution.—Penny fee (Scot.), a small wage; Penny gaff (slang), a low-class theatre; Penny mail (Scot.), rent in money, not in kind: a small sum paid to the superior of land; Penny wedding, a wedding ceremonial in Scotland, at which the invited guests made contributions in money to pay the general expenses.—A pretty penny, a considerable sum of money; Turn an honest penny, to earn money honestly. [A.S. penig, oldest form pending, where pend=Eng. pawn, Ger. pfand, Dut. pand, a pledge, all which are from L. pannus, a rag, a piece of cloth.]

The Nuttall Encyclopedia(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Penny

   originally a silver coin, weighed in the 7th century 1/240-th of a Saxon pound, but decreased in weight till in Elizabeth's time it was 1/63 of an ounce troy. It was at first indented with a cross so as to be broken for halfpennies and farthings, but silver coins of these denominations were coined by Edward I. Edward VI. stopped the farthings, and the halfpence were stopped in the Commonwealth. Copper coinage was established in 1672. The present coins were issued first in 1860. They are half the size of their predecessors, and intrinsically worth one-seventh of their nominal value.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. penny

   Song lyrics by penny -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by penny on the Lyrics.com website.

Etymology and Origins(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Penny

   From the Danish pennig and German pfennig, a copper coin of full value. This was originally nicked across to admit of being broken into halves and quarters.

Matched Categories

1. • Coin
   • Fractional Monetary Unit

British National Corpus

1. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'penny' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2609

2. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'penny' in Nouns Frequency: #2336

How to pronounce penny?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say penny in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of penny in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of penny in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of penny in a Sentence

1. Leslie Caldwell:

   Of course, neither 1MDB nor the Malaysian people ever saw a penny of profit from that film.

2. Hattie Fishburne:

   He's gone Hollywood, for 20 years, I funded my son's career. He promised he would take care of me...To this day, I have not got a Christmas present or a ‘Thank you, Mama’ present. He hasn’t given me a penny.

3. Ellen Marie Richards:

   If I could give them back every penny I've ever received for my vision, I'd be happy, i don't need to have money. But I have to tell you the truth, the money gives me back the ability to do things that I haven't been able to do.

4. Shu Zhang:

   We didn't have a penny, we were losing money, and we couldn't pay wages, every day was perilous.

5. Graham Smith:

   If even one school or hospital is facing cuts we cannot justify spending a penny on the royals, yet with all public services under intense financial pressure we throw 2.4 million pounds at a new house for Harry.

Images & Illustrations of penny

Popularity rank by frequency of use