pfennig
Americannoun
plural
pfennigs, pfennige-
a copper-coated iron coin and monetary unit of Germany until the euro was adopted, one 100th of a Deutsche mark.
-
(formerly) a minor coin and monetary unit of East Germany, one 100th of an ostmark.
noun
-
a former German monetary unit worth one hundredth of a Deutschmark
-
(formerly) a monetary unit worth one hundredth of an East German ostmark
Etymology
Origin of pfennig
First recorded in 1540–50; from German: penny
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.
For some parents, it was a financial hardship to purchase the required uniform and pay ten pfennig, or pennies, as monthly dues.
From Literature
Adults had paid 4 pfennigs per kilometre, children 2 pfennigs, while those under the age of 4 travelled free.
From The Guardian
Many of them are secondhand, all the classics for example, one volume in blue cloth boards cost one mark twenty pfennig.
From Literature
But a pound to a pfennig someone would suggest it was worth a punt, and the mood across Europe might be in favour of making hitherto undreamt of concessions.
From BBC
"Leave your last pfennig in Gaiberg!" read the slogan of this hilltop village's annual May campaign to lure the former German pennies, coins and notes to its handful of restaurants and shops.
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.