Where does “sixpenny” come from?
Sixpenny is a compound of English six and penny, with six deriving from Middle English six, Old English siex, Proto-Germanic panningaz, and Proto-Indo-European swéḱs.
sixpenny (English): Worth six pennies; Cheap; worthless; A...
Definitions
- Worth six pennies; Cheap; worthless; A...
Ancestry of “sixpenny”, step by step
sixpenny traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English penny
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | penny | In the United Kingdom and Ireland, a copper coin... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |