farthing
Americannoun
-
a former bronze coin of Great Britain, equal to one-fourth of a British penny: withdrawn in 1961.
-
something of very small value.
I don't care a farthing for your opinion.
noun
-
a former British bronze coin, worth a quarter of an old penny, that ceased to be legal tender in 1961
-
something of negligible value; jot
Other Word Forms
- half-farthing noun
Etymology
Origin of farthing
First recorded before 950; Middle English ferthing, Old English fēorthing; fourth, -ing 3
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I’m sure you’ve all missed ’em: The ha’penny, farthing and shilling.
From Washington Post • Sep. 3, 2020
You all are free to put your votes, hearts and contributions wherever you like and we care neither a farthing nor a fig.
From Fox News • Aug. 19, 2019
For his wedding last year, the 26-year-old Slovakian wore a gold trimmed tunic, arrived in a Trabant car and at one point rode a miniature penny farthing across a tightrope.
From The Guardian • Mar. 14, 2016
A man who stole a penny farthing bicycle to ride home was only caught when he tried to sell it on eBay, a court was told.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2014
Another mole the size of a farthing on her thigh and something purplish on her calf—a strawberry mark, a scar.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
