death penny

== English == === Etymology === From death +‎ penny. Noun sense 3 (“memorial plaque”) refers to its superficial resemblance to the one-penny coin (which was much smaller) in circulation in the United Kingdom at the time. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ˈdɛθ ˌpɛni/ Hyphenation: death pen‧ny === Noun === death penny (plural death pennies) (historical, usually in the plural) A coin placed on the eyelid of a deceased person to keep the eye closed. (Greek mythology, Roman mythology) Synonym of Charon's obol (“a coin placed in or on the mouth of a deceased person as a bribe or payment for Charon, the ferryman of Hades”). (UK, World War I, numismatics, informal) The memorial plaque, a circular bronze plaque presented to the next of kin of British Empire personnel killed in World War I. Synonyms: dead man's penny, widow's penny ==== Translations ==== === Notes === === Further reading === coins for the dead on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Memorial Plaque (medallion) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia “death penny, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2025. “death penny, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022. “death penny, n.”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.