Where does “fourpence” come from?
Fourpence comes from English four and English penny, tracing back through Middle English peni to Proto-Germanic fedurþô and Proto-Indo-European kʷetwṓr, meaning four.
fourpence (English): A former British silver coin, worth four pence
Definitions
- A former British silver coin, worth four pence
Ancestry of “fourpence”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | four | A numerical value equal to 4; the number after... |
| 2 | Middle English | four | four |
| 3 | Old English | fēower | four |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | feuwar | four |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | fedwōr | four |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷetwóres | four |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷe- | and |