The Guinea Was Worth Twenty-One Shillings, Not Twenty
A guinea was a British coin. Its odd value made it the currency of professionals and racehorses long after it stopped being minted.
A guinea was an English gold coin, named after the region of West Africa that supplied the gold. Its value settled at twenty-one shillings, one more than a pound, and that awkward extra shilling gave it social meaning: professionals charged in guineas while tradesmen charged in pounds. Horses are still sold in guineas at some auctions.
- A former British coin. *Priced in guineas.*
- Twenty-one shillings. *A hundred guineas.*
- Guinea pig — a rodent, or a test subject. *Used as a guinea pig.*
- Guinea fowl — a speckled bird. *Roast guinea fowl.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | guinea | One guinea. |
| Plural | guineas | Fifty guineas. |
| Compound | guinea pig | A pet guinea pig. |
| Compound | guinea fowl | Wild guinea fowl. |
| Related | shilling | Twenty-one shillings. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The fee was fifty guineas.Professional charging.
- He was the guinea pig for the trial.A test subject.
- Guinea pigs come from the Andes.Not from Guinea, and not pigs.
Things wrongly named Guinea
- Guinea pig — a South American rodent, not a pig
- Guinea fowl — genuinely African
- New Guinea — named by a Spanish explorer for a supposed resemblance
- The coin — genuinely made from West African gold
- Guinea worm — a parasite, named for the region
From the Guinea region of West Africa, source of the gold. The coin was minted from 1663 and replaced by the sovereign in 1817.
Why were fees charged in guineas?
The extra shilling above a pound marked professional services and gentlemanly transactions, distinguishing them from ordinary trade.
Are guinea pigs from Guinea?
No. They come from the Andes in South America. The name's origin is uncertain and possibly a confusion with Guiana.