stiver

[ stahy-ver ]

/ ˈstaɪ vər /

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noun

Also stuiver . a former nickel coin of the Netherlands, equal to five Dutch cents.

the smallest possible amount: not worth a stiver; not a stiver of work.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of stiver

First recorded in 1495–1505, stiver is from the Dutch word stuiver

Words nearby stiver

stitch-up, stitch wheel, stitchwork, stitchwort, stithy, stiver, St. James, St. James-Assiniboia, St. James's Palace, St.-Jean, St.-Jérôme

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stiver in a sentence

I'll back you with my last stiver as long as you stay on Ballarat!
Denis Dent|Ernest W. Hornung
All the other children at his age—when they have a stiver they either save it or buy themselves something.
Walter Pieterse|Multatuli
And there he was at the end of his tether after having often painted the town tolerably pink without a beggarly stiver.
Ulysses|James Joyce
Stiver, stī′vėr, n. a Dutch coin, worth one penny sterling: any small coin.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various

They were bound to see her and get their money's worth in looking, for they had paid a stiver (two cents) admission to the show.
Dutch Fairy Tales for Young Folks|William Elliot Griffis

British Dictionary definitions for stiver

stiver

/ (ˈstaɪvə) /

noun

a former Dutch coin worth one twentieth of a guilder

a small amount, esp of money

Word Origin for stiver

C16: from Dutch stuiver; related to Middle Low German stüver, Danish styver

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