Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🪙 Altered with metal 🚫 Completely blocked
plugged

plugged

9.9
A coin that has a small disc of cheaper metal inside to reduce its value
  • adjective
  • /plʌgd/
  • Archaic
translation icon : rellenado
  • A careful examination showed that the gold piece had been plugged with a small disc of a cheaper metal.

Examples

  • The collector discovered that the old silver dollar was actually plugged and less valuable than it appeared.

  • The plugged coin was worth much less than expected.

  • In the nineteenth century, it was not uncommon to find plugged coins in circulation.

  • He discovered that the plugged coins were not genuine.

  • A careful examination showed that the gold piece had been plugged with a small disc of a cheaper metal.

  • The collector discovered that the old silver dollar was actually plugged and less valuable than it appeared.

  • In the nineteenth century, it was not uncommon to find plugged coins in circulation.

Surface Forms

plugged positive

Morphology

plugged = plug (opaque) = plug + ed

The word 'plugged' in this context refers to altering a coin, which is not a standard derivation from 'plug'.

Etymology

Plugged comes from putting a plug, a small piece that 'stops' a hole, into a coin to hide removed gold or silver. So a 'plugged' coin looks whole but has been filled with cheaper metal, which is why it is worth less.