farthing
- noun
- /ˈfɑːθɪŋ/
- Archaic
- Steele quotes him as saying, "I am now worth 800 pounds, but shall never be so happy as when I was not worth a farthing."
- the last farthing
- worth a farthing
- give a farthing
Examples
-
"You owe me three farthings, say the bells of St. Martin's."
-
I did her mother a terrible wrong, you know, cutting her off without a farthing when she ran off with that Italian bastard—but it's time and more I made amends.
Fiction book (1991) -
Give us a farthing, sir.
-
And if they spoke kindly to you and offered a farthing for directions...
Fiction book (2000) -
Do you know that you have taken a bit of government land and you haven't got a brass farthing to pay for it?
-
In hospitals, at least, we can tell you to within a farthing what the actual out-of-pocket costs are.
Blog text (21) -
I am apt to believe not one farthing of it has ever been accounted for to the king or brought into the Exchequer.
Academic text (2006) -
Just two farthings.
-
My father didn’t leave me a farthing.
Fiction book (1993) -
He doesn't have a farthing to his name, which makes it hard for him to buy even a snack.
Synonyms
A small coin worth one of 100 parts of a pound or dollar
Small coins or money you do not need and carry with you
An old British coin worth one twentieth of a pound before 1971
A small amount of money, usually coins, kept for minor expenses
Small coins people keep in pockets or jars
A small amount of money in coins that is not worth much
An old British coin worth six pence used before 1971
An old British coin worth two pennies or a very small amount of money
A very small, unimportant amount
Having little or no value
An old French coin or a very small amount of money
A small old British coin worth half a penny from before 1971
A former British coin worth half of a penny, used until 1984
An old English coin worth four pennies used before Britain changed to decimal money
A small old British coin worth three pennies before Britain changed to decimal money
A former British coin worth two shillings and sixpence
A small British coin worth two pennies
A United States coin worth half a dollar
A small amount of something you can buy for one penny
A British coin worth three old pence used before Britain changed its money
A former British coin worth eight pennies
A very small amount of money or a small favor given as a token
An old British coin worth nine pennies
A very small amount of money that is worth almost nothing
A very small coin from long ago in Scotland and the Netherlands
Old British coin worth two shillings or a similar coin used in other countries
A very small amount of something you can buy for half a penny
A very small amount, like a little food or money
A small amount you can buy for one penny
A small British coin that is worth five pence
A small old coin from the Netherlands worth very little money
An old British coin worth six pence used before the change to decimal money
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
How Much
Surface Forms
Etymology
Farthing comes from an old word for fourth, which means 'a fourth part' or 'one quarter'. That's why a farthing was a small coin worth a quarter of a penny and why the word now can mean a very small amount.