halfpenny

== English == === 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. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈheɪp(ə)ni/, (spelling pronunciation) /ˌhɑːfˈpɛni/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈheɪp(ə)ni/, (spelling pronunciation) /ˌhæfˈpɛni/ Rhymes: (one pronunciation) -ɛni Hyphenation: half‧pen‧ny === Noun === halfpenny (plural halfpennies or halfpence) (numismatics, historical, also attributive) Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpennies. (UK) A discontinued English (later British) coin worth half of one penny (old or new). Synonyms: (pre-decimal abbreviation) ½d, (decimal abbreviation) ½p (by extension, Ireland, Scotland) A similar coin formerly used in Ireland and Scotland. Senses chiefly with the plural form halfpence. (UK) An amount of money that the English (later British) coin was worth. (by extension, Ireland, Scotland) An amount of money that the Irish or Scottish coin was worth. (by extension) (philately, historical) A postage stamp worth half of one penny. (chiefly Australia, US, agriculture, archaic) A usually semicircular earmark made in the ear of a livestock animal. (obsolete, figurative) A small piece; a fragment. ==== Usage notes ==== Regarding sense 1.1.1 (“discontinued English (later British) coin”), between 1971 when the currency of the United Kingdom was decimalized, and 1984 when the halfpenny coin was demonetized, the coin was often written as half penny and pronounced (RP) /ˌhɑːfˈpɛni/, (GA) /ˌhæfˈpɛni/. Now, when it is necessary to refer to the amount of money, it is generally written half a penny. ==== Alternative forms ==== (with the first element half preserved): halfepenie, halfepenny, halfepeny, halfepenye, halfpenie, halfpeny, halfpenye (all obsolete) (with the first element reduced to ha-, ha’, or hal-): halpeny, halpenye, hapeney, hapenny, ha'penny, happenny (all obsolete except ha’penny) (with the first element altered to haw-): hawpny (dialectal, obsolete) ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === halfpenny (British decimal coin) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia halfpenny (British pre-decimal coin) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia half penny (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia