guinea English · revision 10337

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=eponym|attested=1664|origins=en Guinea}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈɡɪni/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is named after Guinea, a region on the coast of West Africa,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) because the coins were first minted in 1663 for the trade of the Company of Royal Adventurers with Africa and were made of gold from Guinea.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(Etymonline) The name of the region is presumably from an African word, perhaps Tuareg aginaw, black people.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A British gold coin: 1664, in John Evelyn's diary; the coin was struck from 1663 to 1813.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The coin was soon in domestic use.^(Etymonline) A sum of money equal to its value, 21 shillings, is from 1688, and remained in use for professional fees and prices after the coin was withdrawn.^(OED 1989)^(Collins 2023) The word was earlier applied to things brought from Guinea, or vaguely from some distant country, as ''guinea hen'' (1578), ''guinea pig'' (17th century) and ''guinea fowl'' (1788),^(Hoad 1986)^(Barnhart 1988) and is a short form for guinea fowl from 1620.^(OED 1989) As a derogatory term for an Italian or Spanish immigrant it is from 1896, from Guinea Negro (1740s).^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1578 – guinea hen.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1620 – a guinea fowl.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1664 – a gold coin.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1688 – a sum of 21 shillings.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1896 – an Italian (derogatory).^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A British gold coin worth 21 shillings, issued from 1663 to 1813.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A sum of 21 shillings (£1.05), still used in some prices and fees.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A [[guinea fowl]].^(Collins 2023)^(OED 1989)

+ # ''(US, offensive slang)'' An Italian or a person of Italian descent.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[Guinean]]

+ * [[guinea pig]]

+ * [[helmeted guinea fowl]]

+ * [[guinea worm]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[guinea fowl]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}