Where does “penny” come from?
Penny comes from Middle English peni, from Old English penning, from Proto-Germanic panningaz, ultimately derived from a root meaning a coin or piece of metal used as currency.
penny (English): In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a copper coin...
Definitions
- In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a copper coin...
Ancestry of “penny”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 2 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 3 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |
Words derived from “penny”