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a former bronze coin of Great Britain, equal to one-fourth of a British penny: withdrawn in 1961.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
Etymology
Origin of farthing
First recorded before 950; Middle English ferthing, Old English fēorthing; see fourth, -ing 3
Vocabulary lists containing farthing
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.
A law in Tudor England levied a fine on anyone who passed gas in church; the fine was set at a farthing.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 24, 2021
“Nah, we don’t use it,” she responded, as if I’d come in asking for a new wheel for my penny farthing or for a crank to start up my car.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 19, 2019
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
Police saw the listing and successfully bid £75 for it - the penny farthing had cost owner Dale Trott £350.
From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2014
"Right. But the worst of it is, they don't give Mr. Shakespeare a farthing for it. And it is his work, after all."
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
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.
