sixpence

English

British sixpence coins struck in 1787.

Etymology

From six + pence.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈsɪks.pəns/
  • (file)

Noun

sixpence (countable and uncountable, plural sixpences)

  1. (obsolete, Britain, uncountable) The value of six old pence; half of a shilling; or one-fortieth of a pound sterling.
    Finest apples, sixpence each.
  2. (historical) A former British coin worth sixpence, first minted in 1551.
    Have you got two sixpences for a shilling?
    • 1994, Neil Gaiman, Mr. Punch:
      I remember playing card games with my grandfather. Games of memory, not of skill. If I won, he gave me sixpence; if he won, he didn't. We would play until I was bored, or until he ran out of sixpences.

Synonyms

Derived terms

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