Shilling
/ˈʃɪl.ɪŋ/noun
A former British coin worth twelve pence, or a monetary unit in several countries.
Did you know?The English word ultimately comes from a Proto-Germanic root meaning “to split” or “divide,” which is fitting for a coin that literally represented a fraction of a pound.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skel-
“to cut, split”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skiljaną
“to split, divide”
Old English
OE
scilling
“a monetary unit; a coin”
Old Norse
ON
skillingr
“a coin, shilling”
Middle English
ME
shilling
“a shilling, a silver coin”
Modern English
English
shilling
“a former British coin or unit of money”