Definitions for penny
ˈpɛn ipen·ny

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

1. penny(noun)

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

2. penny, cent, centime(noun)

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

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. penny(Noun)

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

2. penny(Noun)

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

3. penny(Noun)

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

4. penny(Noun)

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

5. penny(Noun)

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

6. penny(Noun)

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

7. penny(Verb)

   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.

8. penny(Verb)

   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.

9. Penny(ProperNoun)

   A diminutive of the female given name Penelope.

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

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

1. Penny(adj)

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

2. Penny(noun)

   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)

3. Penny(noun)

   any small sum or coin; a groat; a stiver

4. Penny(noun)

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

5. Penny(noun)

   see Denarius

6. Penny(adj)

   worth or costing one penny

Origin: [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.

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. Jan Allman:

   Every penny adds up.

2. Robert Burton:

   Penny wise, pound foolish.

3. Benjamin Franklin:

   A penny saved is a penny earned.

4. Andrew White:

   We never gave the bad guys one penny.

5. Felix and Oscar, from the Odd Couple:

   A penny for your thoughts? A dollar for your death.

Images & Illustrations of penny

Popularity rank by frequency of use