Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “fourpenny” come from?

fourpenny (English) comes from English penny, from English -y, from Middle English -y, from Old English -iġ, from Proto-West Germanic -g, from Proto-Germanic -gaz, from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos — -y, -ic.

fourpenny (English): Costing fourpence; A coin or stamp worth...

Definitions

  1. Costing fourpence; A coin or stamp worth...

Ancestry of “fourpenny”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpennyIn the United Kingdom and Ireland, a copper coin...
2English-yAdded to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives...
3Middle English-yDesignates an adjective, in many cases formed by...
4Old English-iġ-y, -ic
5Proto-West Germanic-gForms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a...
6Proto-Germanic-gaz-y
7Proto-Indo-European-ḱos-y, -ic

Words derived from “fourpenny”

  • fourpennyworth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -ḱos →