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coin (koin)
Share:
n.
1. A small piece of metal, usually flat and circular, authorized by a government for use as money.
2. Metal money considered as a whole.
3. A flat circular piece or object felt to resemble metal money: a pizza topped with coins of pepperoni.
4. A mode of expression considered standard: Two-word verbs are valid linguistic coin in the 20th century.
5. Variant of quoin.
tr.v. coined, coin·ing, coins
1. To make (pieces of money) from metal; mint or strike: coined silver dollars.
2. To make pieces of money from (metal): coin gold.
3. To devise (a new word or phrase).
adj.
Requiring one or more pieces of metal money for operation: a coin washing machine.
Idiom:
the other side of the coin
One of two differing or opposing views or sides.
[Middle English, from Old French, die for stamping coins, wedge, from Latin cuneus, wedge.]
coina·ble adj.
coiner n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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