Where does “ha’penny” come from?
ha’penny (English) comes from English halfpenny, from Middle English halpenī, from Old English halpenige, from Old English healf, from Proto-Germanic *halb, from Proto-Germanic halbaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kelH-, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kel- — to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,...
Ancestry of “ha’penny”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | halfpenny | A discontinued British coin worth half of one... |
| 2 | Middle English | halpenī | — |
| 3 | Old English | halpenige | halfpenny |
| 4 | Old English | healf | side; half; partly |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | *halb | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | halbaz | half |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kelH- | to cut; to split, to separate |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |