Etymology

catchpenny

C3A1T1C3H4P3E1N1N1Y4

Today it means: A cheap item designed to attract purchasers of other goods. Full definition →

English penny ← Middle English peny ← Old English peniġ
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kap-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kapyéti
  3. Proto-Indo-European*kaptós
  4. Proto-Italic*kaptos
  5. Latincaptus
  6. Vulgar Latin*captiāre
  7. Old Frenchchacier
  8. Anglo-Normancachier
  9. Middle Englishcacchen
  10. Englishcatch
  11. Ancient Greekπᾰτᾰ́νη (pătắnē)
  12. Latinpatina
  13. Latinpanna?
  14. Latinpannus?
  15. Proto-Germanic*panningaz
  16. Proto-West Germanic*panning
  17. Old Englishpeniġ
  18. Middle Englishpeny
  19. Englishpenny
  20. English todaycatchpenny

From catch + penny.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.