English Explanatory Dictionary

penny farthing

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A type of bicycle popular in the 19th century, with the front wheel far larger than the rear one.

Pronunciation

en-au-penny farthing.ogg

Word forms

penny farthing penny farthings

Etymology

A reference to the relative sizes of the two wheels resembling that of the old British coins of the same name. Retronym for ordinary bicycle, coined after the invention of the safety bicycle that has since become the standard type of bicycle.

Synonyms

ordinary
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