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penny Definition

penny (pen′ē)

noun pl. -·nies

  1. in the United Kingdom and certain other countries,
    1. a monetary unit equal to of a pound
    2. before 1971, a monetary unit equal to of a shilling: abbrev. d
    3. a coin worth one penny
  2. ☆ a U.S. or Canadian cent
  3. any of several other low-value coins, as a denarius
  4. a sum of money: now chiefly in the following phrases

Etymology: ME peny < OE penig, pening, akin to Ger pfennig: < ? early WGmc borrowing < L pannus, cloth: see pawn

penny Idioms

a pretty penny

Informal a large sum of money

turn an honest penny

to earn money fairly and honestly

penny Synonyms

penny

n.

cent, copper, red cent*; see money 1.

a pretty penny*

a large sum of money, fortune, riches; see wealth.

turn an honest penny

profit, earn money honestly, gain; see earn 2.

penny Usage Examples

Preposition: on

  • dollar: Fund Your Flying Special Report that tells new and old pilots how they can fund their flight training for pennies on the dollar.

Adjective modifier

  • pre-decimal: From 1971 to 1981 all UK circulating coins used the words NEW PENCE to distinguish them from the old pre-decimal pennies.
  • pretty: In the basement of the house, which must have cost the set designers a pretty penny, ghosts are locked in glass cells.
  • near: All charges are rounded up to the nearest penny.
  • single: Released on February 14th 2005 at £ 9.99 every single penny of profit will go to UNICEF.
  • silver: I never realized that there were 40 million silver pennies issued for Ethelred II, a millenium ago!

Converse of object

  • earn: Why not earn a penny a minute every time you are called?
  • hard-earn: Not perfect, but perhaps still worth your hard-earned pennies.
  • squeeze: It is an orphan specification, the prime justification is squeezing the last penny out of the cost of modem hardware.
  • donate: In other words, every penny donated would have gone directly to our partners.
  • spend: Every penny spent on lawyers ' fees can not be spent on patients.
  • pay: They paid a penny a week in school fees.

Noun used with modifier

  • silver: Most precious to her is an Edward I silver penny dated 1227 Ð 1307.

Preposition: in

  • shilling: So each helping must have been 4d as there are twelve pennies in a shilling.

Modifies a noun

  • farthing: Old photos of the local cycle club mounted on penny farthing bikes made us appreciate the comfort of our machines.
  • dreadfuls: We all owe much sound morality to the penny dreadfuls.
  • whistle: The distinctive tune was based on South African folk music played on a penny whistle.
  • gaff: A look at the nightlife of the East End from a German dancehall to a " penny gaff " in Whitechapel.
  • halfpenny: I remember when employers were free to employ sweated women workers on finishing trousers at a penny halfpenny a pair.
  • Stock: Penny Stocks ( 0-9 ) An alphabetical list of UK penny share stocks.
penny Quotes

The Germans, if this Government is returned, are going to pay every penny. Theyare going to be squeezed as a lemon is squeezedöuntil the pips squeak. My only doubt is not whether we can squeeze hard enough, but whether there is enough juice.

—Geddes, Sir Eric Campbell

Not a penny off the pay; not a second on the day.

—Cook, ArthurJames

   Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus, rumoresque senum severiorum omnes unius aestimemus assis. Let us live, my Lesbia, and let us love! Let us not give one penny if old men protest and disapprove.

—Catiline full name Lucius Sergius Catilina

Iown Ilike definiteforminwhat myeyesaretorest upon; and if landscapes were sold, likethe sheets of characters of my boyhood, one penny plain and twopence coloured, I should go the length of twopence every day of my life.

—Stevenson, Robert Louis