Where does “ninepence” come from?
Ninepence comes from English nine and English penny, ultimately deriving from Old English niġon and Old English penny through Proto-Germanic newun and Proto-Indo-European h₁néwn̥.
ninepence (English): A former British silver coin, worth nine old...
Definitions
- A former British silver coin, worth nine old...
Ancestry of “ninepence”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | nine | A numerical value equal to 9; the number... |
| 2 | Middle English | nyn | — |
| 3 | Old English | niġon | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | newun | nine |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁néwn̥ | nine |