Coin Was Named After the Die That Struck It
A coin is a piece of metal money. The word originally meant the wedge-shaped stamp used to make one.
A coin is a flat piece of metal used as money. The word comes from Latin *cuneus*, a wedge — the die that stamped the metal was wedge-shaped, and the product took the name of the tool. That is also why *to coin* means to invent: coining a phrase is striking it fresh. Milled edges on coins were introduced to stop *clipping*, the shaving of silver from the rim, since a clipped coin's missing ridges give it away instantly.
- Metal money. *A gold coin.*
- To invent. *Coin a phrase.*
- To mint. *Coining money.*
- Coinage — currency, or new words. *Coinage.*
- Latin — *cuneus*, a wedge. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | coin | A coin. |
| Plural | coins | Coins. |
| Verb | coin | Coined. |
| Noun | coinage | Coinage. |
| Latin | cuneus | A wedge. |
- He dropped a coin in the slot.Money.
- She coined the term herself.Invention.
- Milled edges prevented clipping.History.
Why coins have ridged edges
- Clipping meant shaving silver from a coin's rim
- A clipped coin still passed at face value while the thief kept the metal
- Milled edges made any shaving obvious at a glance
- Isaac Newton, as Master of the Mint, drove the reform in England
- Modern coins keep the ridges even though they hold no precious metal
Old French *coin*, a wedge or die, from Latin *cuneus*, a wedge.
Why does coin also mean to invent?
Because coining is striking something new. A coined phrase is one struck fresh, like a new piece of money.
Why do coins have ridged edges?
To stop clipping, the shaving of precious metal from the rim. Missing ridges reveal a tampered coin at once.