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penny

  (pĕn'ē) pronunciation
n., pl. -nies.
  1. In the United States and Canada, the coin that is worth one cent.
  2. pl. pence (pĕns).
    1. (Abbr. p.) A coin used in Great Britain since 1971, worth 1/100 of a pound. Also called new penny.
    2. (Abbr. d.) A coin formerly used in Great Britain, worth 1/12 of a shilling or 1/240 of a pound.
    3. A coin formerly used in the Republic of Ireland, worth 1/100 of a pound.
    4. A coin used in various dependent territories of the United Kingdom.
  3. Any of various coins of small denomination.
  4. A sum of money.
  5. One of a set of colored, usually sleeveless shirts worn as a temporary team uniform, as when scrimmaging.
idiom:

pretty penny

  1. A considerable sum of money: I paid a pretty penny for that ring.

[Middle English, an English coin, from Old English penig.]


 
 
Word Tutor: penny
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A coin worth one-hundredth of the value of the basic unit.

pronunciation A penny will hide the biggest star in the Universe if you hold it close enough to your eye. — Samuel Grafton

 
Wikipedia: penny
For the NBA basketball player with the nickname, see Penny Hardaway.
This article is about the unit of currency. Penny is also a familiar diminutive of the name Penelope. "Pennies" is a Smashing Pumpkins song, released on the Zero EP.
British One Penny Coin
Enlarge
British One Penny Coin
A variety of "low value" coins, including an Irish 2p piece and many U.S. pennies.
Enlarge
A variety of "low value" coins, including an Irish 2p piece and many U.S. pennies.
Two British 2 pence coins (below) and a 5 pence coin (above)
Enlarge
Two British 2 pence coins (below) and a 5 pence coin (above)

A penny (pl. pence or pennies) is a coin or a unit of currency used in several English-speaking countries.

Value

The penny is among the lowest denomination of coins in circulation.

In addition, variants of the word penny, with which they share a common root, are or were the names of certain units of currency in non-English-speaking countries:

In the United States and Canada, "penny" is normally used to refer to the coin - the quantity of money is a "cent." Elsewhere in the English-speaking world, the plural of "penny" is "pence" when referring to a quantity of money and "pennies" when referring to a number of coins. Thus a coin worth five times as much as one penny is worth five pence, but "five pennies" means five coins, each of which is a penny.

When dealing with British or Irish (pound) money, amounts of the decimal "new pence" less than £1 may be suffixed with "p", as in 2p, 5p, 26p, 72p. Pre-1971 amounts of less than 1/- (one shilling) were denoted with a "d" which derived from the term "denarius", as in 2d, 6d, 10d. The lettering "new pence" was changed to "pence" on British decimal coinage in 1982. Irish pound decimal coinage only used "p" to designate units (possibly as this sufficed for both the English word "pence", and Irish form "pingin").

The British penny as a unit of currency dates back several hundred years.

Other uses

To "spend a penny" in British idiom means to urinate. The etymology of the phrase is literal; some public toilets used to be coin-operated, with a pre-decimal penny being the charge levied. Eventually, at around the same time as the introduction of decimal coinage, British Rail gradually introduced better public toilets with the name Superloo and the much higher charge of 6d.[1] The government advised that in speech the new units should be called "pee" to distinguish them from the older "pennies" or "pence".[2]

Finding a penny is sometimes considered lucky and gives rise to the saying, "Find a penny pick it up, all the day you'll have good luck."

Nails

In the US, the length of a nail is designated by its penny size. It is commonly believed that the origin of the term "penny" in relation to nail size is based on the old custom in England of selling nails by the hundred. A hundred nails that sold for six pence were "six penny" nails. The larger the nail, the more a hundred nails would cost. Thus the larger nails have a larger number for its penny size. This classification system was still used in England in the 18th century, but is obsolete there.

The penny size is written with a number and the abbreviation d for penny (e.g. - 10d). D is an abbreviation for denarius, a Roman coin similar to a penny; this was the abbreviation for a penny in the UK before decimalisation. A smaller number indicates a shorter nail and a larger number indicates a longer nail. Nails under 1¼ in., often called brads, are sold mostly in small packages with only a length designation (e.g. ½" (12 mm), 118" (28 mm), etc.).

Criticism

The physical handling and counting of pennies creates transaction costs that may be higher than a penny per penny spent. Furthermore, as has been claimed for micropayments, due to mental transaction costs one cent may exceed the useful price granularity of almost all products and services sold over the counter—granularities of five or ten cents may be sufficient.[citation needed] Also, inflation periodically causes the metal value of pennies to exceed their face value, making them wasteful to mint.[3][4] Several nations have stopped minting equivalent value coins, and efforts have been made to end the routine use of pennies in the United States.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ BBC Nation on Film - Rise and Fall of LNER Mod Cons - Engines Must Not Enter the Potato Siding: "Spend a 6d in the superloo"
  2. ^ money slang history
  3. ^ New York Times, "AROUND THE NATION; Treasurer Says Zinc Penny May Save $50 Million a Year", April 1, 1981
  4. ^ USA Today, Barbara Hagenbaugh, "Coins cost more to make than face value", May 10, 2006
  5. ^ Lewis, Mark (2002-07-05). Ban The Penny. Forbes.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-16.

External links

  • The MegaPenny Project - A visualisation of what exponential numbers of pennies would look like.
  • Coin Collection - A wide variety of pennies to explore and analyse.
  • Silver Pennies - Pictures of English silver pennies from Anglo-Saxon times to the present.
  • Copper Pennies - Pictures of English copper pennies from 1797 to 1860.

 
Translations: Translations for: Penny

Dansk (Danish)
n. - skilling
adj. - skilling-

idioms:

  • a pretty penny    en pæn skilling
  • in for a penny, in for a pound    har man sagt A, må man også sige B, skal der være gilde, så lad der være gilde
  • like a bad penny    ikke til at blive af med
  • pennies from heaven    manna fra himlen
  • penny arcade    overdækket forretningsgade, hvor der sælges billigt stads
  • penny dreadful    knaldroman
  • penny farthing    væltepeter
  • penny for your thoughts    hvad tænker du på?
  • penny pincher    nærig person
  • penny wise    sparsommelig i småting
  • the penny drops    tiøren falder

Nederlands (Dutch)
penny, cent, denarius (Romeinse zilveren munt), (onbeduidend) bedrag

Français (French)
n. - centime, (GB) penny, pence
adj. - (Fin) des valeurs de bourse

idioms:

  • a pretty penny    une jolie somme
  • in for a penny, in for a pound    quand le vin est tiré, il faut le boire
  • like a bad penny    (revenir) continuellement
  • pennies from heaven    argent qui tombe du ciel
  • penny arcade    salle de jeux électroniques
  • penny dreadful    roman à l'eau de rose
  • penny farthing    grand bi
  • penny for your thoughts    à quoi penses-tu?
  • penny pincher    grippe-sou
  • penny wise    économe
  • the penny drops    cela a fait tilt

Deutsch (German)
n. - Penny, Cent
adj. - Angabe der Nagelgröße

idioms:

  • a pretty penny    ziemlich viel Geld
  • in for a penny, in for a pound    wenn schon, denn schon
  • like a bad penny    immer wieder auftauchend
  • pennies from heaven    unerwarteter Profit
  • penny arcade    Vergnügungszentrum
  • penny dreadful    Groschenroman
  • penny farthing    Hochrad
  • penny for your thoughts    woran denkst du gerade
  • penny pincher    Pfennigfuchser
  • penny wise    im Kleinen sparsam
  • the penny drops    der Groschen ist gefallen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - πένα (στερλίνας), (μτφ.) δεκάρα, πεντάρα, (ΗΠΑ) σεντ (εκατοστό του δολαρίου)
adj. - της δεκάρας

idioms:

  • a pretty penny    κάμποσα λεφτά
  • in for a penny, in for a pound    αφού μπήκα στο χορό θα χορέψω
  • like a bad penny    σαν κάλπικος παράς
  • pennies from heaven    ουρανόπεμπτο δώρο, (μτφ.) λαχείο
  • penny arcade    χώρος με ηλεκτρονικά παιχνίδια
  • penny dreadful    φτηνό (περιπετειώδες) ανάγνωσμα
  • penny farthing    ποδήλατο άνισων τροχών
  • penny for your thoughts    τι σκέπτεσαι, πού τρέχει ο λογισμός σου;
  • penny pincher    παραδόπιστος, τσιγκούνης, σπαγκοραμμένος
  • penny wise    δεκαρολόγος, καρμίρης
  • the penny drops    επιτέλους άρχισε να καταλαβαίνει

Italiano (Italian)
penny

idioms:

  • a pretty penny    una bella sommetta
  • in for a penny, in for a pound    chi è in ballo deve ballare
  • like a bad penny    come una moneta falsa
  • pennies from heaven    redditi inaspettati, denaro caduto dal cielo
  • penny arcade    sala giochi
  • penny dreadful    romanzo rosa, romanzo a fumetti
  • penny farthing    biciclo
  • penny for your thoughts    pagherei per sapere a cosa pensi
  • penny pincher    spilorcio
  • penny wise    tirchio nel piccolo, spendaccione nel grande
  • spend a penny    andare al bagno, andare a "lavarsi le mani"
  • the penny drops    si comincia a capire
  • two/ten a penny    da quattro soldi
  • worth every penny    un'ottima spesa

Português (Portuguese)
n. - pêni (m), centavo (m)
adj. - que tem o valor de um pêni

idioms:

  • a pretty penny    um bom dinheiro
  • in for a penny, in for a pound    quem entra na chuva é pra se molhar, quem começa vai até o fim
  • like a bad penny    péssima barganha
  • pennies from heaven    dinheiro caído do céu
  • penny arcade    caça níqueis
  • penny dreadful    fascículo de novela policial (EUA)
  • penny farthing    bicicleta antiga
  • penny for your thoughts    o que você está pensando?
  • penny pincher    pão-duro
  • penny wise    econômico
  • spend a penny    ir ao banheiro
  • the penny drops    caiu a ficha (gír.), ligar as coisas
  • two/ten a penny    comum, vulgar
  • worth every penny    valer muito a pena

Русский (Russian)
пенни, пенс

idioms:

  • a pretty penny    приличная сумма
  • in for a penny, in for a pound    назвался груздем, полезай в кузов
  • like a bad penny    постоянно возвращаться
  • pennies from heaven    подарок с небес
  • penny arcade    зал игральных автоматов
  • penny dreadful    бульварный роман ужасов
  • penny farthing    велосипед-паук
  • penny for your thoughts    о чем ты думаешь
  • penny pincher    скупердяй
  • penny wise    крохобор, мелочный
  • spend a penny    сходить в уборную
  • the penny drops    дошло!
  • two/ten a penny    за рубль ведро
  • worth every penny    полностью оправдать надежды

Español (Spanish)
n. - penique
adj. - de a penique, de poco valor, relativo a las acciones de poco valor (en los mercados financieros)

idioms:

  • a pretty penny    un dineral, un ojo de la cara
  • in for a penny, in for a pound    preso por mil, preso por mil quinientos
  • like a bad penny    como la falsa moneda, hierba mala nunca muere
  • pennies from heaven    recibir dinero inesperadamente
  • penny arcade    galería de máquinas tragamonedas
  • penny dreadful    novela o revista de muy poca categoría o barata, tebeos
  • penny farthing    bicicleta antigua de rueda grande y chica, velocípedo
  • penny for your thoughts    ¿en qué estás pensando?
  • penny pincher    tacaño, avaro
  • penny wise    cuidar los centavos, tacaño en lo pequeño
  • the penny drops    darse cuenta, caer en la cuenta

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - eng. mynt = 1/100 pund, öre, slant
adj. - penny-

中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
便士, 小钱, 一分

idioms:

  • a pretty penny    一大笔钱
  • in for a penny, in for a pound    一不做二不休
  • like a bad penny    要想忘记但忘不掉
  • pennies from heaven    意外的好处
  • penny arcade    一便士游乐场
  • penny dreadful    廉价惊险小说
  • penny farthing    前轮大后轮小的自行车
  • penny for your thoughts    你呆呆地在想什么
  • penny pincher    吝啬鬼
  • penny wise    省小钱的, 惜分文的
  • the penny drops    最后才明白了, 这才达到效果

中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 便士, 小錢, 一分

idioms:

  • a pretty penny    一大筆錢
  • in for a penny, in for a pound    一不做二不休
  • like a bad penny    要想忘記但忘不掉
  • pennies from heaven    意外的好處
  • penny arcade    一便士遊樂場
  • penny dreadful    廉價驚險小說
  • penny farthing    前輪大後輪小的自行車
  • penny for your thoughts    你呆呆地在想什麼
  • penny pincher    吝嗇鬼
  • penny wise    省小錢的, 惜分文的
  • the penny drops    最後才明白了, 這才達到效果

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 1 페니, (미.캐나다)= cent, 잔돈
adj. - 가치 없는 주식

idioms:

  • a pretty penny    꽤 많은 돈
  • in for a penny, in for a pound    한번 시작한 일은 끝장을 내라
  • like a bad penny    재수 없게
  • the penny drops    의미가 통했다, 알아들었다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ペニー, 1ペニー貨, 小銭, びた一文, 1セント, 1セント貨

idioms:

  • in for a penny    手を出す, 始める
  • penny arcade    ゲームセンター
  • penny dreadful    安っぽい犯罪小説
  • penny farthing    ファージング(イギリスの旧硬貨)
  • penny for your thoughts    何考えてるのか教えて
  • penny pincher    すごいけちんぼ
  • penny wise    けちな
  • the penny drops    コイン投げ
  • two/ten a penny    ありふれた

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) بنس (صفه) أسهم قليله السعر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פרוטה, סנט, פני‬
adj. - ‮בעלת ערך זעום (מניה)‬


 
Best of the Web: Penny

Some good "penny" pages on the web:


American Sign Language
commtechlab.msu.edu
 

Cartoons
www.toonopedia.com
 
 
 

Did you mean: penny, Brad Penny (baseball), penny, Penny (first name), Sydney Penny (Actor, Drama), Joe Penny (Country Artist), Rob Penny, Nicholas Penny, Tim Penny, Edward Goff Penny

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Idioms. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
eSpindle provides personalized spelling and vocabulary tutoring online; free trial Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Penny" Read more
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