English Explanatory Dictionary

halfpenny

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpennies.
  2. A discontinued English (later British) coin worth half of one penny (old or new).
  3. A similar coin formerly used in Ireland and Scotland.
  4. Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpence.
  5. An amount of money that the English (later British) coin was worth.
  6. An amount of money that the Irish or Scottish coin was worth.
  7. A postage stamp worth half of one penny.
  8. A usually semicircular earmark made in the ear of a livestock animal.
  9. A small piece; a fragment.
name
  1. A surname transferred from the nickname.

Pronunciation

/ˈheɪp(ə)ni/ /ˌhɑːfˈpɛni/ En-uk-halfpenny.ogg /ˌhæfˈpɛni/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-halfpenny.wav /ˈhɑːfˌpɛni/

Word forms

halfpenny halfpennies halfpence halfepenie halfepenny halfepeny halfepenye halfpenie halfpeny halfpenye halpeny halpenye hapeney hapenny ha'penny happenny hawpny Halfpennys

Etymology

From Middle English halpeni, halfpeni (“English coin worth half a penny; coin used in biblical times; small foreign coin”), and then either: * from half (“half”) (from Old English healf; ultimate etymology unknown, possible from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to incline”) or *(s)kelH- (“to cut; to separate, split”)) + peni, penni (“English coin; coin used in biblical times; foreign coin; (especially in the plural) cash, money; pennyweight”) (from Old English penning, from Proto-Germanic *panningaz (“coin, penny”); further etymology uncertain); or * from Late Old English halpene, halpenige (which can also be construed as early Middle English), from healf + penning (see above). By surface analysis, half + penny.

Synonyms

½d ½p

Derived words

bord halfpenny halfpenny farthing halfpenny of gold halfpenny under the hat halfpennyworth have one's hand on another halfpenny have one's heart on one's halfpenny not a halfpenny the worse shove halfpenny three halfpence twopenny-halfpenny

Translations

Arabic: نصف بنس Bulgarian: половин пени Finnish: puolipenni French: demi-penny Irish: leathphingin Māori: hēpene Polish: półpens Polish: półpensówka Scottish Gaelic: bonn-a-sè Scottish Gaelic: bonn-a-sia Vietnamese: niễng mũn Welsh: dimai Yola: haapney Yoruba: eepinni Yoruba: igbiwo
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