What does bodle mean?
A bodle was a small copper coin that circulated in Scotland from roughly the early 17th century until the currency reforms of the 1700s. Valued at two Scots pence — equivalent to only about a sixth of an English penny — it was among the smallest denominations of everyday exchange, the kind of coin handed to beggars or counted out by those with very little money to count. Because of its tiny value, the word entered Scottish speech as a byword for near-nothingness: to say something was 'not worth a bodle' was to declare it completely worthless. Today the coin itself no longer exists, but the bodle lives on in historical accounts of Scottish life and in traditional songs and ballads, where it evokes poverty, thrift, and the texture of daily commerce in earlier centuries. It is a useful word for readers of older Scottish literature and anyone curious about the vanished world of pre-Union Scottish money.
nounA bodle was a small copper coin formerly current in Scotland, worth two Scots pence — one-sixth of an English penny. It circulated in the 17th and 18th centuries before the currency reforms that unified British coinage.
- A small copper coin of pre-Union Scotland, worth two Scots pence.
"The beggar held out his hand for a bodle, and the old woman dropped the smallest coin she had into it."
"He fished in his purse but could not find so much as a bodle to spare."
"In the ballad, the beggar swears he hasn't a bodle left to his name."
Regular pluralisation; historically used when counting out small sums of Scottish copper.
"He scraped together three bodles from beneath the floorboards."
"Not worth a bodle" was the Scottish way of saying something was utterly worthless — and a bodle was itself worth just a sixth of an English penny.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bodle
The word bodle derives from Old French 'bodle' (also spelled 'bodel'), meaning a small coin, and was adopted into Scots when the coin was introduced in the early 17th century under James VI. The French term itself is of uncertain further origin. As a Scots coin name it remained in use until the old Scottish currency was assimilated with sterling after the Union, after which it survived chiefly as a proverbial expression for a negligible sum.
How bodle is actually used
Obsolete; encountered mainly in Scottish literature, historical writing, and traditional songs. The phrase 'not worth a bodle' survives as a colourful idiom for worthlessness.
Easily confused with bodle
A baudkin is a different historical term (a dagger), whereas a bodle is a small copper coin.