noun
shilling
SHIL-ing/ˈʃɪlɪŋ/
A former British coin or monetary unit worth one twentieth of a pound
The collector keeps a silver shilling in a small display case.
Etymology
Old English scilling named a monetary unit whose value in pence varied. The familiar British shilling represented twelve pence and one twentieth of a pound; the name’s deeper origin remains uncertain.
In context
We're going to turn the sitting room into a shop, and you may each come in one by one and spend a shilling, but no more.
More examples
- Before decimalization, twenty shillings made a pound.
- The old receipt lists the fare as two shillings.
- She finds a worn shilling among her grandfather's coins.
Forms
shilling · shillings