Added 9 October 2026
halfpenny
/ˈheɪp(ə)ni/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about halfpenny at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpennies. A discontinued English (later British) coin worth half of one penny (old or new).
- Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpennies. A discontinued English (later British) coin worth half of one penny (old or new).
- A discontinued English (later British) coin worth half of one penny (old or new).
Origin
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).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)