■ noun ( plural for separate coins pennies , for a sum of money pence )
1》 (abbrev.: p .) a British bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound.
↘(abbrev.: d .) a former British coin and monetary unit equal to one twelfth of a shilling and 240th of a pound.
↘ N. Amer. informal a one-cent coin.
↘(in biblical use) a denarius.
2》 [with negative ] ( a ~ ) no money at all.
Phrases
be two (or ten ) a ~ chiefly Brit. be plentiful and thus of little value.
in for a ~, in for a pound expressing an intention to see an undertaking through, however much time, effort, or money this entails.
pennies from heaven unexpected benefits.
the ~ drops informal, chiefly Brit. one finally realizes something.
a ~ for your thoughts a request to someone to say what they are thinking about.
Origin
OE penig , penning of Gmc origin; perh. related to pawn 2 and (with ref. to shape) pan 1 .
Usage
On the different uses of the plural forms pence and pennies , see usage at pence .