Etymology

coin

C3O1I1N1

Today it means: A piece of currency, usually metallic and in the shape of a disc, but sometimes polygonal, or with a hole in the middle. Full definition →

Middle English coyn ← Old French coin ← Latin cuneus
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coin · noun, verb1

  1. Latincuneus
  2. Old Frenchcoin
  3. Middle Englishcoyn
  4. English todaycoin

From Middle English coyn, from Old French coigne (“wedge, cornerstone, die for stamping”), from Latin cuneus (“wedge”). Doublet of coign and cuneus. See also quoin (“cornerstone”). Displaced Middle English mynt, from Old English mynet (whence modern English mint), which was derived from Latin monēta.

Coin · proper noun2

  1. French · borrowed fromCoin
  2. English todayCoin

Borrowed from French Coin. It could also be a variant of the surname Coyne from Irish.

Words from the same roots

Latincuneus all →

cuneiformCuneocuneuskouign-amann

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.