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How did the name "penny" come to be attached to early British coins?

291fifth291fifth Posts: 23,945 ✭✭✭✭✭
in World & Ancient Coins Forum

These coins were silver and the "d" in 1 d refers to denarius (as in the Roman coin denomination). How, why and when did they start being called a "penny"? Is this a fairly recent term or was it used much earlier?

All glory is fleeting.

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    Insider2Insider2 Posts: 14,452 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The answer is in the Macmillan Encyclopedic Dictionary of Numismatics - Doty

    Too much info to print. ""Unravelling the origin of the word penny proves troublesome."" Basically, no one knows for sure because everyone is dead.

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    291fifth291fifth Posts: 23,945 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Insider2 said:
    The answer is in the Macmillan Encyclopedic Dictionary of Numismatics - Doty

    Too much info to print. ""Unravelling the origin of the word penny proves troublesome."" Basically, no one knows for sure because everyone is dead.

    The fog of time has rolled in.

    All glory is fleeting.
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    NapNap Posts: 1,705 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Anglo-Saxons used the word pennig or penning to refer to what we call a penny. The word was in use since the 6th or 7th century most likely.

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    SapyxSapyx Posts: 2,010 ✭✭✭✭✭

    "Denarius" is the Latin name for the coin, derived from the old Roman coin's name; only the educated elites would have called the coin that. "Penny" was the English name for the same coin.

    The word is Germanic in origin (as can be seen by its similarity to the modern German word "pfennig") rather than from a Latin-derived language and dates from at least the Anglo-Saxon (pre-1066) period, so the term has been in use for a very long time. There are several theories as to the origin of the word:

    • It is onomatopoeic in origin - derived from the "ping" sound that a small thin silver coin makes when dropped on a table.
    • Derived from the Norse Viking word "pennigr", meaning "pan-shaped".
    • Having a similar derivation to the English word "pawn" (old Germanic "pan"), as in to place on security for a loan.
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    ExbritExbrit Posts: 1,252 ✭✭✭✭

    @Sapyx said:
    "Denarius" is the Latin name for the coin, derived from the old Roman coin's name; only the educated elites would have called the coin that. "Penny" was the English name for the same coin.

    The word is Germanic in origin (as can be seen by its similarity to the modern German word "pfennig") rather than from a Latin-derived language and dates from at least the Anglo-Saxon (pre-1066) period, so the term has been in use for a very long time. There are several theories as to the origin of the word:

    • It is onomatopoeic in origin - derived from the "ping" sound that a small thin silver coin makes when dropped on a table.
    • Derived from the Norse Viking word "pennigr", meaning "pan-shaped".
    • Having a similar derivation to the English word "pawn" (old Germanic "pan"), as in to place on security for a loan.

    Sounds reasonable to me. I personally like the theory:
    Derived from the Norse Viking word "pennigr", meaning "pan-shaped".

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    ColinCMRColinCMR Posts: 1,482 ✭✭✭

    There is a cool book on this topic:

    https://www.amazon.com/Pound-Biography-Story-Currency-Ruled/dp/0099406063

    David Sinclair. 2001. The Pound: A Biography: The Story of the Currency That Ruled the World. Random House UK; New edition edition (January 1, 2001)

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