Where does “fivepence” come from?

fivepence (English) comes from English five, from Middle English fyf, from Old English fīf, from Proto-West Germanic fimf, from Proto-Germanic fimf, from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷe — five.

fivepence (English): A monetary amount of five pence; A coin of this...

Definitions

  1. A monetary amount of five pence; A coin of this...

Ancestry of “fivepence”, step by step

fivepence traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English five

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfiveA numerical value equal to 5; the number...
2Middle Englishfyffive
3Old Englishfīffive
4Proto-West Germanicfimffive
5Proto-Germanicfimffive
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpénkʷefive

via English Pence

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishPence(the subunit of the pound sterling or Irish pound)
2Middle EnglishpenyA penny or other silver coin including ancient coins
3Old Englishpenningpenny
4Proto-Germanicpanningaza coin, penny
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pénkʷe →