SHILLING

shilling

(noun) an English coin worth one twentieth of a pound

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Proper noun

Shilling (plural Shillings)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Shilling is the 7066^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 4738 individuals. Shilling is most common among White (93.29%) individuals.

Etymology 1

Noun

shilling (plural shillings)

(historical) A coin formerly used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Australia, New Zealand and many other Commonwealth countries.

The currency of Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda.

(US, historical) A currency in the United States, differing in value between states.

(US, historical, New York and some other states) The Spanish real, formerly having the value of one eighth of a dollar.

Usage notes

Abbreviations

• (in UK, etc): s. or s or / (solidus)

• (in Kenya): Ksh; (in Somalia) So. Sh.; (in Tanzania) TSh; (in Uganda) UGS

In East Africa, the names of the currencies usually use the proper noun for the country, not its adjectival form: "Kenya shilling", "Tanzania shilling", etc. Amounts are written with a solidus, probably from the UK usage: "2/50" is 2 shillings, 50 cents (not pence); 30 shillings only is written "30/=".

Synonyms

• (Britain, Ireland, Australia, East Africa): bob, generalise, gen, hog, Abraham's willing (archaic)

• (Australia): deener

Etymology 2

Verb

shilling

present participle of shill

Source: Wiktionary

Shil"ling, n. Etym: [OE. shilling, schilling, AS. scilling; akin to D. schelling, OS. & OHG. scilling, G. schilling, Sw. & Dan. skilling, Icel. skillingr, Goth. skilliggs, and perh. to OHG. scellan to sound, G. schallen.]

1. A silver coin, and money of account, of Great Britain and its dependencies, equal to twelve pence, or the twentieth part of a pound, equivalent to about twenty-four cents of the United States currency.

2. In the United States, a denomination of money, differing in value in different States. It is not now legally recognized.

Note: Many of the States while colonies had issued bills of credit which had depreciated in different degrees in the different colonies. Thus, in New England currency (used also in Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida), after the adoption of the decimal system, the pound in paper money was worth only $3.333, and the shilling 16 Am. Cyc.

3. The Spanish real, of the value of one eight of a dollar, or 12 York shilling. Same as Shilling, 3.