eightpenny

9.9

A nail about two and a half inches long for wood framing

adjective
/ˈeɪtˌpɛni/

Specialized

: de ocho peniques

He used eightpenny nails because they were the correct length for the boards.

Examples

The carpenter requested a box of eightpenny nails for the framing project.
Make sure to buy eightpenny nails if you're building a standard wall frame.
The carpenter used an eightpenny nail for the frame.
Can you hand me an eightpenny nail?
The builder chose to use eightpenny nails for the wooden structure to ensure stability.
When constructing furniture, it is important to select eightpenny nails for proper length.
For this project, I need a box of eightpenny nails to complete the assembly.

Synonyms

fourpenny

vseightpenny

Specialized

1 9.9

A nail about one and a half inches long

is 2 1/2 inches long and therefore much longer than that size

threepenny

vseightpenny

Specialized

1 9.9

Describes a small nail about one and a quarter inches long

is 2 1/2 inches long and far longer than that small size

ninepenny

vseightpenny

9.9

A nail about seven centimetres long used to join wood

is 2 1/2 inches long and slightly shorter than that size

Compounds

eightpenny nail

Specialized

8.1

A 2.5 inch nail used to join pieces of wood

How Long

tenpenny

Specialized

1 9.1

eightpenny

Specialized

9.9

fourpenny

Specialized

1 9.9

Surface Forms

eightpenny positive

Morphology

eightpenny = eight + penny (opaque) = eight + penny

The form is historically based on the 'eight pence' nail-size classification, but that convention does not let a learner directly predict the modern length meaning.

Etymology

The word eightpenny joins eight and penny and comes from an old way to name nails by price: a hundred of these nails once cost 'eight pence', so that price name became the standard name for a particular nail size. So an eightpenny nail today is the size people long ago linked to that name, about 2 1/2 inches long.