Where does “halfpenny” come from?
Halfpenny comes from Middle English halpeni, from Old English halpenige, combining Old English healf (half) with Proto-Germanic panningaz (penny), ultimately from Proto-Germanic halbaz (half) and the Proto-Indo-European root (s)kelH- meaning to cut or divide.
halfpenny (English): A discontinued British coin worth half of one...
Definitions
- A discontinued British coin worth half of one...
Ancestry of “halfpenny”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | halpenī | a halfpenny often given in charity |
| 2 | Old English | halpenige | halfpenny |
| 3 | Old English | healf | side; half; partly |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | *halb | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | halbaz | half |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kelH- | to cut; to split, to separate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kel- | to bend, crook; bent, crooked; leg, heel, knee,... |