penny

Meanings

Noun

a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
a coin worth one-hundredth of the value of the basic unit
In the United Kingdom and Ireland and many other countries, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₂₄₀ of a pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: d.
In the United Kingdom, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a pound sterling, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: p.
In Ireland, a coin worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of an Irish pound before the introduction of the euro. Abbreviation: p.
In the US and (formerly) Canada, a one-cent coin, worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a dollar. Abbreviation: ¢.
In various countries, a small-denomination copper or brass coin.
A unit of nail size, said to be either the cost per 100 nails, or the number of nails per penny. Abbreviation: d.
Money in general.

Verb

To jam a door shut by inserting pennies between the doorframe and the door.
To circumvent the tripping of an electrical circuit breaker by the dangerous practice of inserting a coin in place of a fuse in a fuse socket.
During a meal or as part of a drinking game, to drop a penny in a person's drink with the expectation that they finish it (or some such variation thereof); commonly associated with crewdates at Oxford and swaps at Cambridge.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English penny, peny, from Old English peniġ, penniġ, penning (“penny”), from Proto-West Germanic *panning, from Proto-Germanic *panningaz, of uncertain origin (see that page for theories). Doublet of pfennig and fening.

Synonyms

1⁄100 of a pound sterling, cent, centime, old penny

Scrabble Score: 10

penny is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
penny is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
penny is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

penny is a valid Words With Friends word