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coin

Etymology and origin of the English word coin

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1304
Borrowed from
Old French coin
Ultimate origin
Latin (cuneus)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkoɪ̯n/, /ˈkɔɪ̯n/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English coyne, borrowed from Old French coin (“wedge, corner; stamping-die”) (also coing),[2][3][4] from Latin cuneus (“wedge”),[2][5] of unknown origin.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A wedge: 1304 in Barnhart, about 1300 in Etymonline;[2][3] a cornerstone, 1350.[6]

Semantic evolution

The die used for stamping metal was wedge-shaped and was itself called a coin; the name passed in Old French to the piece of money it stamped,[2][3] and English coin means a piece of money from about 1380, in Chaucer.[2] Coined money collectively is from the late 14th century.[3] The architectural senses, a corner or wedge, split off in the 16th century as quoin.[3][7] The verb, to mint money, is from about 1338,[2] and to invent a word or phrase from 1589.[2][3] Coin-operated is from 1890.[3]

Timeline

  • 1304 – a wedge.[2]
  • c. 1338 – to mint (verb).[2]
  • 1350 – a cornerstone.[6]
  • c. 1380 – a piece of money.[2]
  • 1589 – to invent a word.[2]
  • 1890 – coin-operated.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A flat, usually round piece of metal issued as money.
  2. Metal money as a whole.
  3. (informal) Money.

Verb

  1. To make coins by stamping metal; to mint.
  2. To invent a new word or phrase.

Word family

  • coinable
  • coiner
  • coin-operated
  • coinage
  • uncoined
  • recoin
  • standard coin
  • coin of the realm
  • quoin
  • coign
  • cuneiform

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Coin.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/coin. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·