halfpenny
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: agriculture
business
hobbies
lifestyle
numismatics
philately
Etymology: From Middle English halpeni, halfpeni (“English coin worth half a penny; coin used in biblical times; small foreign coin”), and then either:
* from half (“half”) (from Old English healf; ultimate etymology unknown, possible from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to incline”) or *(s)kelH- (“to cut; to separate, split”)) + peni, penni (“English coin; coin used in biblical times; foreign coin; (especially in the plural) cash, money; pennyweight”) (from Old English penning, from Proto-Germanic *panningaz (“coin, penny”); further etymology uncertain); or
* from Late Old English halpene, halpenige (which can also be construed as early Middle English), from healf + penning (see above).
By surface analysis, half + penny.
Inflected forms:
form: halfpennies
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: halfpence
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: halfepenie
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: halfepenny
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: halfepeny
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: halfepenye
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: halfpenie
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: halfpeny
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: halfpenye
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: halpeny
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: halpenye
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: hapeney
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: hapenny
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: ha'penny
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: happenny
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: hawpny
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpennies.
pos: noun
tags: UK
also
attributive
historical
examples: There vvere none principal, they vvere all like one another, as halfe pence are, euerie one fault ſeeming monſtrous, til his fellovv-fault came to match it.
[T]here are Thouſands vvho vvould not have contributed a ſingle Halfpenny, as indeed he did not in Effect, for he made no Tender of any thing; and therefore as the others thought proer to make no Demand, he kept his Money in his Pocket.
Whatever means he used in making his way to London, it is certain he made his entrance there with but a few halfpence in his pocket.
Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat, / Please to put a penny in the old man's hat, / If you haven't got a penny, a halfpenny will do, / If you haven't got a halfpenny—God bless you!
gloss: Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpennies.
pos: noun
tags: Ireland
Scotland
also
attributive
broadly
historical
gloss: Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpence.
pos: noun
tags: UK
also
attributive
historical
examples: There ſhall be in England, ſeuen halfe peny Loaues ſold for a peny: the three hoop'd pot, ſhall haue ten hoopes, and I vvill make it Fellony to drink ſmall Beere.
My earlieſt vviſh vvas to eſcape unheeded through life; but I have been ſet up for half-pence, to fret and ſcamper at the end of my chain.
[I]t was bruited abroad that he was admitted into Dr. Swishtail's academy upon what are called 'mutual principles'—that is to say, the expenses of his board and schooling were defrayed by his father, in goods not money; […] The jokes were frightful, and merciless against him. […] Another would set a sum—"If a pound of mutton-candles cost sevenpence-halfpenny, how much must Dobbin cost?" and a roar would follow from all the circle of young knaves, usher and all, who rightly considered that the selling of goods by retail is a shameful and infamous practice, meriting the contempt and scorn of all real gentlemen.
gloss: Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpence.
pos: noun
tags: Ireland
Scotland
also
attributive
broadly
historical
gloss: A postage stamp worth half of one penny.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
historical
gloss: A usually semicircular earmark made in the ear of a livestock animal.
pos: noun
tags: Australia
US
archaic
broadly
gloss: A small piece; a fragment.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
figuratively
obsolete
examples: O ſhe tore the letter into a thouſand halfpence, raild at her ſelf, that ſhe ſhould be ſo immodeſt to vvrite, to one that ſhe knevv vvould flout her, […]
Derived words: bord halfpenny
halfpenny farthing
halfpenny of gold
halfpenny under the hat
halfpennyworth
have one's hand on another halfpenny
have one's heart on one's halfpenny
not a halfpenny the worse
shove halfpenny
three halfpence
twopenny-halfpenny
Translations:
lang: Arabic
word: نصف بنس
lang: Bulgarian
word: половин пени
roman: polovin peni
lang: Finnish
word: puolipenni
lang: French
word: demi-penny
lang: Irish
word: leathphingin
lang: Māori
word: hēpene
lang: Polish
word: półpens
lang: Polish
word: półpensówka
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: bonn-a-sè
lang: Scottish Gaelic
word: bonn-a-sia
lang: Vietnamese
word: niễng mũn
lang: Welsh
word: dimai
lang: Yola
word: haapney
lang: Yoruba
word: eepinni
lang: Yoruba
word: igbiwo