dime

[dahym]

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noun

a cupronickel-clad coin of the U.S. and Canada, the 10th part of a dollar, equal to 10 cents.

Slang.

ten dollars.
a 10-year prison sentence.
dime bag.

Idioms

a dime a dozen, Informal. so abundant that the value has decreased; readily available.

Origin of dime

1350–1400; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French di(s)me < Latin decima tenth part, tithe, noun use of feminine of decimus tenth, derivative of decem ten

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for dime a dozen

superabundant

British Dictionary definitions for dime a dozen

dime

noun

a coin of the US and Canada, worth one tenth of a dollar or ten cents

a dime a dozen very cheap or common

Word Origin for dime

C14: from Old French disme, from Latin decimus tenth, from decem ten

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

Word Origin and History for dime a dozen

dime

chosen 1786 as name for U.S. 10 cent coin, from dime "a tenth, tithe" (late 14c.), from Old French disme (Modern French dîme) "a tenth part," from Latin decima (pars) "tenth (part)," from decem "ten" (see ten).

The verb meaning "to inform" (on someone) is 1960s, from the then-cost of a pay phone call. A dime a dozen "almost worthless" first recorded 1930. Phrase stop on a dime attested by 1954 (a dime being the physically smallest unit of U.S. currency).

Idioms and Phrases with dime a dozen

dime a dozen

So plentiful as to be valueless. For example, Don't bother to buy one of these—they're a dime a dozen. The dime was declared the American ten-cent coin in 1786 by the Continental Congress. [First half of 1900s]

dime

In addition to the idiom beginning with dime

dime a dozen

also see:

drop a dime
get off the dime
not worth a dime

on a dime.