[shil.ling] n [ME, fr. OE scilling; akin to OHG skilling, a gold coin] (bef. 12c) 1 a: a former monetary unit of the United Kingdom equal to 12 pence or 1/20 pound b: a former monetary unit equal to 1/20 pound of any of various countries in or formerly in the Commonwealth
2: a coin representing one shilling
3: any of several early American coins
4: the basic monetary unit of Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda