Where does “threepence” come from?

Threepence derives from English three and English penny, from Old English þrī and Old English penning, ultimately from Proto-Germanic panningaz and Proto-Indo-European tréyes.

threepence (English): The amount of money equal to that of three pence;...

Definitions

  1. The amount of money equal to that of three pence;...

Ancestry of “threepence”, step by step

threepence traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English three

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishthreeA numerical value after two and before four....
2Middle Englishthrethree
3Old Englishþrīthree
4Proto-West Germanicþrīʀthree
5Proto-Germanicþrīzthree
6Proto-Indo-European*tréyes—

via English Pence

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishPence(the subunit of the pound sterling or Irish pound)
2Middle EnglishpenyA penny or other silver coin including ancient coins
3Old Englishpenningpenny
4Proto-Germanicpanningaza coin, penny
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *tréyes →Every word from Proto-Germanic þrīz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic þrīʀ →