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• guinea
  guinea

  noun

  a former money of account of the United Kingdom, equal to 21 shillings: still often used in quoting fees or prices.
• Guinea
  Guinea

  noun

  a coastal region in western Africa, extending from the Gambia River to the Gabon estuary.

guinea

¹ American  

[gin-ee] / ˈgɪn i /

noun

• guineas
  plural

1. a former money of account of the United Kingdom, equal to 21 shillings: still often used in quoting fees or prices.

2. a gold coin of Great Britain issued from 1663 to 1813, with a nominal value of 20 shillings.

3. Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a person of Italian birth or descent.

4. Horse Racing. a person who does miscellaneous work in or around a horse stable.

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Guinea ² American  

[gin-ee] / ˈgɪn i /

noun

1. a coastal region in western Africa, extending from the Gambia River to the Gabon estuary.

2. Formerly French Guinea. an independent republic in western Africa, on the Atlantic coast. About 96,900 sq. mi. (251,000 sq. km). Conakry.

3. Gulf of Guinea, a part of the Atlantic Ocean that projects into the western coast of Africa and extends from the Ivory Coast to Gabon.

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Guinea ¹ British  

/ ˈɡɪnɪ /

noun

1. a republic in West Africa, on the Atlantic: established as the colony of French Guinea in 1890 and became an independent republic in 1958. Official language: French. Religion: Muslim majority and animist. Currency: franc. Capital: Conakry. Pop: 11 176 026 (2013 est). Area: 245 855 sq km (94 925 sq miles)

2. (formerly) the coastal region of West Africa, between Cape Verde and Namibe (formerly Moçâmedes; Angola): divided by a line of volcanic peaks into Upper Guinea (between The Gambia and Cameroon) and Lower Guinea (between Cameroon and S Angola)

3. a large inlet of the S Atlantic on the W coast of Africa, extending from Cape Palmas, Liberia, to Cape Lopez, Gabon: contains two large bays, the Bight of Bonny and the Bight of Benin, separated by the Niger delta

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guinea ² British  

/ ˈɡɪnɪ /

noun

1. 1. a British gold coin taken out of circulation in 1813, worth 21 shillings

   2. the sum of 21 shillings (£1.05), still used in some contexts, as in quoting professional fees

2. See guinea fowl

3. slang an Italian or a person of Italian descent

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Guinea Cultural  

1. Republic in west Africa, bordered by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Mali to the north; Ivory Coast to the east; Liberia to the south; and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its capital and largest city is Conarky.

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Discover More

Guinea was once part of the Mali empire.

It became independent of France in 1958.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Guinean
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• guineas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of guinea

C16: the coin was originally made of gold from Guinea

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

guinea Guinea guineas

"I don't want to be the guinea pig for this," Indiana resident Angelita Soriano told the BBC.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

The experiment followed 12 guinea fowl from two weeks of age until they reached 16 weeks, when the birds were approaching their full adult size.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

Part of my job is to be a guinea pig, so that I can warn you of the benefits and dangers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

In unpacking the new single title, Harper’s Bazaar suggested that maybe modern-day fame is the disease, and Swift the “early guinea pig” who has fought against sexism and re-created her own masters.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

Sacred is next to me, but I shoo him back just in case Virgil doesn’t want him around his guinea pig.

From "Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly

The US-based energy giant struck a deal last month to take control of Papua LNG, which aims to tap into massive gas fields nestled in the forests of Papua New Guinea.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Dozens more species that have rarely been studied outside Papua New Guinea were also feared to be in harm's way.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

To qualify, England must beat Papua New Guinea on Friday, hope Tonga defeat Samoa on Sunday, and make up a 68-point deficit on the Samoans.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Jez Litten and Morgan Knowles have been brought into the starting line-up for England's must-win Men's Rugby League World Cup match against Papua New Guinea - with Brad O'Neill dropping out of the squad.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

Protein starvation is probably also the ultimate reason why cannibalism was widespread in traditional New Guinea highland societies.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

"You had to pay two guineas for your gold staff," he says.

From BBC ● May 4, 2023

It also earned him twenty-five guineas, his first income as a journalist.

From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2019

In 1963, a “Snob” pinafore dress cost six guineas – the equivalent of just over £100.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 17, 2019

The siblings raise guineas, ducks, chickens and geese for eggs and goats and rabbits for meat.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 28, 2018

“What I paid two guineas to discover is this. There isn’t going to be an appeal just because five years on you’ve decided to tell the truth.”

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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