PENNY


Meaning of PENNY in English

— pennied , adj.

/pen"ee/ , n. , pl. pennies , ( esp. collectively for 2, 3 ) pence , adj.

n.

1. a bronze coin, the 100th part of the dollars of various nations, as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States; one cent.

2. Also called new penny . a bronze coin and monetary unit of the United Kingdom and various other nations, the 100th part of a pound. Abbr.: p

3. a former bronze coin and monetary unit of the United Kingdom and various other nations, the 12th part of a shilling: use phased out in 1971. Abbr.: d.

4. a sum of money: He spent every penny he ever earned.

5. the length of a nail in terms of certain standard designations from twopenny to sixtypenny.

6. a bad penny , someone or something undesirable.

7. a pretty penny , Informal. a considerable sum of money: Their car must have cost them a pretty penny.

8. Chiefly Brit. Slang. spend a penny , to urinate: from the former cost of using a public lavatory.

9. turn an honest penny , to earn one's living honestly; make money by fair means: He's never turned an honest penny in his life.

adj.

10. Stock Exchange. of, pertaining to, or being penny stock: frenzied speculation in the penny market.

[ bef. 900; ME peni, OE penig, paenig, pen ( n ) ing, pending, c. OFris penning, panning, OS, D penning, OHG pfenning, phantinc, phenting (G Pfennig ), ON penningr (perh. pandingaz, prob. equiv. to * pand - PAWN 2 + * -ingaz -ING 3 ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .