# guinea
## English
### Etymology

From Guinea, the early modern name for West Africa, the coins originally being made of gold from the region, mostly from the 'Gold Coast' (modern Ghana) and used for African trade, and the guinea fowl being found there.
Its use as an ethnic slur against Italians may be due to their darker complexion compared to others of European descent.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɡɪni/
* Audio (General Australian):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɪni

### Noun

guinea (plural guineas)
* (British, historical) A gold coin originally worth twenty shillings; later (from 1717 until the adoption of decimal currency) standardised at a value of twenty-one shillings.
** 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Georges, and Louises, doubloons and double guineas and moidores and sequins, the pictures of all the kings of Europe for the last hundred years, strange Oriental pieces stamped with what looked like wisps of string or bits of spider's web, round pieces and square pieces, and pieces bored through the middle, as if to wear them round your neck—nearly every variety of money in the world must, I think, have found a place in that collection...
** 1962 June, “New Reading on Railways: Locomotives of British Railways, by H. C. Casserley & L. Asher, Spring Books, 21s.”, in Modern Railways, page 432:However, since there are 488 pages in all for a bargain price of a guinea one must not be too carping.
* Synonym of guinea fowl
** 1944, Emily Carr, “Brooding and Homing”, in The House of All Sorts‎:The guineas peeped complainingly, the goslings waddled into all the puddles and came back to chill my skin.
* (US, slang, derogatory, ethnic slur) A person of Italian descent.
** 1982, Stephen King, Survivor Type:If I’m to tell the whole truth—and why not? I sure have the time!—I’ll have to start by saying I was born Richard Pinzetti, in New York’s Little Italy. My father was an Old World guinea.

#### Synonyms

* (person of Italian descent): dago, Eyetie, goombah, greaseball, guido, wog, wop

#### Derived terms

* gn.
* guinea-fowl
* guinea grains
* guinea hen weed
* guinea keet
* guinea pig
* guinea-pig
* guinea pig director
* guinea piglet
* guinea squash
* guinea stand
* guinea worm
* guinea-worm
* helmeted guinea fowl
* long-eared guinea pig

#### Descendants

* → Arabic: جُنَيْه (junayh)
* → Egyptian Arabic: جنيه (ginēh)
* → Irish: gine
* → Scottish Gaelic: gini
* → Spanish: guinea
* → Welsh: gini

#### Translations
### References

* “guinea”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

## Finnish
### Etymology

From English guinea.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈɡineɑ/, [ˈɡine̞ɑ̝]
* Rhymes: -ineɑ

### Noun

guinea
* guinea (British gold coin)

#### Declension

Possessive forms of guinea (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
guineani
guineani
accusative
nom.
guineani
guineani
gen.
guineani
genitive
guineani
guineoideni guineoitteni guineaini $^{rare}$
partitive
guineaani
guineoitani
inessive
guineassani
guineoissani
elative
guineastani
guineoistani
illative
guineaani
guineoihini
adessive
guineallani
guineoillani
ablative
guinealtani
guineoiltani
allative
guinealleni
guineoilleni
essive
guineanani
guineoinani
translative
guineakseni
guineoikseni
abessive
guineattani
guineoittani
instructive
comitative
—guineoineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
guineasi
guineasi
accusative
nom.
guineasi
guineasi
gen.
guineasi
genitive
guineasi
guineoidesi guineoittesi guineaisi $^{rare}$
partitive
guineaasi
guineoitasi
inessive
guineassasi
guineoissasi
elative
guineastasi
guineoistasi
illative
guineaasi
guineoihisi
adessive
guineallasi
guineoillasi
ablative
guinealtasi
guineoiltasi
allative
guineallesi
guineoillesi
essive
guineanasi
guineoinasi
translative
guineaksesi
guineoiksesi
abessive
guineattasi
guineoittasi
instructive
comitative
—guineoinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
guineamme
guineamme
accusative
nom.
guineamme
guineamme
gen.
guineamme
genitive
guineamme
guineoidemme guineoittemme guineaimme $^{rare}$
partitive
guineaamme
guineoitamme
inessive
guineassamme
guineoissamme
elative
guineastamme
guineoistamme
illative
guineaamme
guineoihimme
adessive
guineallamme
guineoillamme
ablative
guinealtamme
guineoiltamme
allative
guineallemme
guineoillemme
essive
guineanamme
guineoinamme
translative
guineaksemme
guineoiksemme
abessive
guineattamme
guineoittamme
instructive
comitative
—guineoinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
guineanne
guineanne
accusative
nom.
guineanne
guineanne
gen.
guineanne
genitive
guineanne
guineoidenne guineoittenne guineainne $^{rare}$
partitive
guineaanne
guineoitanne
inessive
guineassanne
guineoissanne
elative
guineastanne
guineoistanne
illative
guineaanne
guineoihinne
adessive
guineallanne
guineoillanne
ablative
guinealtanne
guineoiltanne
allative
guineallenne
guineoillenne
essive
guineananne
guineoinanne
translative
guineaksenne
guineoiksenne
abessive
guineattanne
guineoittanne
instructive
comitative
—guineoinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
guineansa
guineansa
accusative
nom.
guineansa
guineansa
gen.
guineansa
genitive
guineansa
guineoidensa guineoittensa guineainsa $^{rare}$
partitive
guineaansa
guineoitaan guineoitansa
inessive
guineassaan guineassansa
guineoissaan guineoissansa
elative
guineastaan guineastansa
guineoistaan guineoistansa
illative
guineaansa
guineoihinsa
adessive
guineallaan guineallansa
guineoillaan guineoillansa
ablative
guinealtaan guinealtansa
guineoiltaan guineoiltansa
allative
guinealleen guineallensa
guineoilleen guineoillensa
essive
guineanaan guineanansa
guineoinaan guineoinansa
translative
guineakseen guineaksensa
guineoikseen guineoiksensa
abessive
guineattaan guineattansa
guineoittaan guineoittansa
instructive
comitative
—guineoineen guineoinensa :

## Spanish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɡiˈnea/ [ɡiˈne.a]
* Rhymes: -ea
* Syllabification: gui‧ne‧a

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from English guinea.

#### Noun

guinea f (plural guineas)
* guinea (British gold coin)

### Etymology 2

See guineo.

#### Noun

guinea f (plural guineas)
* female equivalent of guineo

#### Adjective

guinea
* feminine singular of guineo

### Further reading

* “guinea”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10