halfpenny
/ˈheɪp(ə)ni/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.56 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpennies.
noun
Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpence.
noun
A postage stamp worth half of one penny.
noun
A usually semicircular earmark made in the ear of a livestock animal.
Australian usage; American usage; Archaic
name
A surname transferred from the nickname.
Example Sentences
- "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!"
- "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."
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈheɪp(ə)ni/
- British English: /ˈheɪp(ə)ni/
Usage
Inflected Forms
halfpennies (plural)
halfpence (plural)
halfepenie (alternative)
halfepenny (alternative)
halfepeny (alternative)
halfepenye (alternative)
halfpenie (alternative)
halfpeny (alternative)
halfpenye (alternative)
halpeny (alternative)
halpenye (alternative)
hapeney (alternative)
Derived Forms
Phrases
bord halfpenny
halfpenny farthing
halfpenny of gold
halfpenny under the hat
have one's hand on another halfpenny
have one's heart on one's halfpenny
not a halfpenny the worse
shove halfpenny