What does fourpence mean?
Fourpence was a denomination of British currency representing four old pennies — one-third of a shilling in the pre-decimal system that ended in 1971. As a physical coin it was better known for much of its history as the groat, a silver piece struck intermittently from the Middle Ages until the nineteenth century. In literature and everyday speech the term usually appears as a sum of money rather than as a coin: fares, wages, and small purchases were routinely quoted in fourpences, which is why the word survives largely in historical fiction, memoirs, and numismatic writing. Because old pence were worth far more than decimal ones, a stated 'fourpence' in a Victorian text cannot be read as a trivial sum without context. Today the word evokes an archaic charm and serves mainly as a window into Britain's monetary past.
nounA former British coin worth four old pennies, equivalent to one-third of a shilling before decimalisation in 1971; also known historically as a groat.
- A former British silver coin worth four old pennies, historically known as the groat.
- The monetary value of four old pence (one-third of a shilling), especially as a price or amount in historical accounts.
"In Dickens's day, a loaf of bread might cost a mere fourpence."
"The ferryman charged him fourpence to cross the Thames at dusk."
"She kept an 1836 fourpence, or groat, in her sewing box for luck."
When referring to multiple coins, pluralised as 'fourpences'; as an abstract amount of money, the word is typically used without pluralisation.
"He counted out five fourpences from his coat pocket."
The fourpence had a secret second life: under its older name, the groat, it was struck on and off for over 400 years and even gave us the phrase 'not worth a groat'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fourpence
Fourpence is formed transparently from the Old English 'penn', the ancestor of the English word penny, whose Germanic cognates include the German Pfennig and Scandinavian penning. As a term it simply names the compound of four such pence, and the corresponding coin was long known by its separate medieval name, the groat. The word belongs firmly to the pre-decimal British monetary tradition and fell out of circulation use after decimalisation in 1971.
Related word forms
How fourpence is actually used
Now obsolete and chiefly encountered in historical, literary, or numismatic contexts. Before 1971 it denoted four old pence; references to 'fourpence' in modern money would be about 1.7 new pence, so quotes from older texts should not be converted casually. The word carries an archaic, quaint connotation today.
Easily confused with fourpence
'Fourpence' is the coin or its monetary value, while 'fourpenny' is an adjective/implied measure used in phrases like 'fourpenny nail', whose size designation has nothing to do with the coin's value.
Sixpence was a coin worth six old pennies (half a shilling), whereas fourpence was worth only four old pennies.