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sixpence (n.)

late 14c., "sum of six pennies," from six + pence. By 1590s as the name of a specific British silver coin with a value of six pence. Sixpenny (adj.) "worth or costing six pennies" (early 15c.) had a figurative sense of "paltry, cheap, petty, worthless" by 1560s; sixpenny nails (early 15c.) cost so much per hundred.

also from late 14c.
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Trends of sixpence

updated on November 24, 2022

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