see|Penny
Image:2005-Penny-Uncirculated-Obverse.png|thumb|A 2005 US penny
English

Pronunciation
IPA|'p�ni
SAMPA|/pE.ni/
audio|en-us-penny.ogg|Audio (US)

:Rhymes: Rhymes:English:-�ni|-�ni

Etymology
Old English penning, pennig possibly from Proto-Indo-Germanic *panningaz

Noun
penny (plural: pennies when referring to individual coins; (UK) pence when referring to an amount of money)

1. context|formerly In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a copper coin worth 1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation. Abbreviation: d.
2. In the United Kingdom, a copper coin worth 1/100 of a pound sterling; also formerly in Ireland, a coin worth 1/100 of an Irish pound before the introduction of the euro. Abbreviation: p.
3. In the US and Canada, a one-cent coin, worth 1/100 of a dollar. Abbreviation: ¢.
4. In various countries, a small denomination copper or brass coin.
5. A unit of nail size, said to be either the cost per 100 nails, or the number of nails per penny. Abbreviation: d.

Synonyms
(1/240 of a pound sterling): old penny
(1/100 of a pound sterling): new penny (old-fashioned)
(one-cent coin): cent

Translations
trans-top|1/240 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
Irish: pingin f
trans-mid
Spanish: penique m
trans-bottom

trans-top|1/100 of a pound sterling or Irish pound
Arabic: Arab|ا�ب�س IPAchar|(al-bins) m
Chinese: 便士 (biànshì)
Dutch: penny m
Finnish: penny
French: penny m
German: Penny m
Hungarian: penny
trans-mid
Irish: pingin f
Japanese: ��� (penī)
Korean: �� (iljeon)
Portuguese: pêni m (B), péni m (P)
Russian: пенни (pénni) n
Spanish: penique m
Swedish: penny c
trans-bottom

one-cent coin in US and Canada
See cent

Derived terms
penny-farthing

Verb
en-verb|pennys|pennying|pennied

1. slang To jam a door shut by inserting pennies between the door frame and the door.

#:Zach and Ben had only been at college for a week when their door was pennied by the girls down the hall.

1. context|jargon To circumvent the trip|tripping of an electrical circuit breaker by the dangerous practice of inserting a coin in place of a fuse in a fuse socket.

the penny drops

Category:English nouns with irregular plurals
Category:Currency

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• 2007-11-11 05:21 - Stephen G. Brown - /* Translations to be checked */

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