English Explanatory Dictionary

death penny

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A coin placed on the eyelid of a deceased person to keep the eye closed.
  2. Synonym of Charon's obol (“a coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charon, the ferryman of Hades”).
  3. The memorial plaque, a circular bronze plaque presented to the next of kin of British Empire personnel killed in World War I.

Pronunciation

/ˈdɛθ ˌpɛni/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-death penny.wav

Word forms

death penny death pennies

Etymology

From death + penny. Noun sense 3 (“memorial plaque”) refers to its superficial resemblance to the one-penny coin (which was much smaller) in circulation in the United Kingdom at the time.

Synonyms

Charon's obol dead man's penny widow's penny
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