penny Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
noun a coin worth one-hundredth of the value of the basic unit
centime; cent.

Perh. a corruption of pun, for pound.

Denoting pound weight for one thousand; -- used in combination, with respect to nails; as, tenpenny nails, nails of which one thousand weight ten pounds.

OE. peni, AS. penig, pening, pending; akin to D. penning, OHG. pfenning, pfenting, G. pfennig, Icel. penningr; of uncertain origin.

plural Pennies or Pence Pennies denotes the number of coins; pence the amount of pennies in value

An English coin, formerly of copper, now of bronze, the twelfth part of an English shilling in account value, and equal to four farthings, or about two cents; -- usually indicated by the abbreviation d. (the initial of denarius). ✍ "The chief Anglo-Saxon coin, and for a long period the only one, corresponded to the denarius of the Continent . . . [and was] called penny, denarius, or denier." R. S. Poole. The ancient silver penny was worth about three pence sterling (see Pennyweight). The old Scotch penny was only one twelfth the value of the English coin. In the United States the word penny is popularly used for cent.
Any small sum or coin; a groat; a stiver. Shak.
Money, in general; as, to turn an honest penny.
What penny hath Rome borne, What men provided, what munition sent? Shak.
(Script.) See Denarius.