bawbee

[ baw-bee, baw-bee ]

/ bɔˈbi, ˈbɔ bi /

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noun

an old Scottish bullion coin, originally worth about three halfpence of English coin, later sixpence.

a halfpenny.

anything of little value.

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Origin of bawbee

First recorded in 1535–45; named after Alexander Orok, 16th-century mintmaster, laird of Sillebawby

Words nearby bawbee

Bavarian, Bavarian cream, bavarois, baveux, bavin, bawbee, bawcock, bawd, bawdry, bawdy, bawdyhouse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bawbee in a sentence

The sun shines to-day, and the funny wee mannie fra the inn is going to gie her a bawbee for goodies.
Big Game|Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
Gilian said I should na speir—but, eh, Glenfernie, I wad gie mair than a bawbee to ken what you did to him!
Foes|Mary Johnston
The kist and its contents will be sold for a guinea and not a bawbee less.
The Mystery of the Sea|Bram Stoker
Mr. Bawbee being a shrewd, hard-headed Scot, had an opinion of his own.
Mark Gildersleeve|John S. Sauzade

As for my family, I found it by the wayside like a lost bawbee!
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 11 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for bawbee

bawbee

/ (bɔːˈbiː) /

noun

a former Scottish silver coin

Scot an informal word for halfpenny (def. 2)

Word Origin for bawbee

C16: named after Alexander Orok of Sillebawby, master of the mint

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