threepence
1
9.9
A small old British coin worth three pennies before Britain changed to decimal money
- noun
- /ˈθriːpəns/
- Archaic
:
tres peniques
- He found a threepence in his pocket and decided to buy some sweets with it.
Examples
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The old coin collector proudly showed off his collection of threepence coins.
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- That'll be threepence, please.
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- It's only threepence from the works.
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I'll pay you threepence a day.
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28 pounds, 7 and threepence.
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Gabriel gives him another threepence.
Fiction book (1998) -
Threepence, please.
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Three shillings and threepence.
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Fourteen shillings and threepence.
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In the market, a loaf of bread costs just a few threepence.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A British coin worth three old pence used before Britain changed its money
has identical meaning but uses a different traditional spelling
Surface Forms
threepence singular
threepences plural
Morphology
Etymology
Threepence comes from the number three plus pence, the plural of penny, so it literally meant 'three pennies'. That's why a threepence was a small British coin worth three pennies before Britain switched to decimal money.