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penny-farthing
[
pen
-ee-fahr-
th
ing]
/ˈpɛn iˌfɑr ðɪŋ/
Spell
Syllables
Word Origin
noun
,
British.
1.
a high bicycle of an early type, with one large wheel in front and one small wheel behind.
Expand
Also called
ordinary
.
Origin of
penny-farthing
Expand
from a comparison of the size difference between the two bicycle wheels to the size difference between an old British penny and a farthing
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018.
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British Dictionary definitions for
penny-farthing
Expand
penny-farthing
noun
1.
(
Brit
) an early type of bicycle with a large front wheel and a small rear wheel, the pedals being attached to the front wheel
US name
ordinary
Word Origin
C20: so called because of the similarity between the relative sizes of the wheels and the relative sizes of the (old) penny and farthing coins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cite This Source
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Nearby words for penny-farthing
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Word Value for
penny
10
12
Scrabble
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