guinea

noun guin·ea \ ˈgi-nē \

Updated on: 23 Mar 2018

Definition of guinea

1 : an English gold coin issued from 1663 to 1813 and fixed in 1717 at 21 shillings

2 : a unit of value equal to one pound and one shilling

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Recent Examples of guinea from the Web

Situated in the old coal cellar at 44 Berkeley Square beneath the Clermont Club, a gambling den famously frequented by Lord Lucan, Annabel’s was funded by 500 of Birley’s friends, who stumped up five guineas a year to become life members.

— pascal chevallier, Vogue, "The Reinvention of Annabel’s, London’s Legendary Nightclub," 19 Mar. 2018
Every visual gag Jerry uses on an audience is guinea-pigged on me first.

— dean martin and jerry lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, "When Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Made a Name for Themselves," 29 Oct. 2017
Among breeds making a comeback are the compact-sized guinea hog, known for its generous back fat.

— julie wernau, WSJ, "America Has a Bacon Problem: Our Pigs Aren’t Fat Enough," 28 July 2017
In 1990, conservationists located just 50 guineas in the U.S., says the Livestock Conservancy.

— julie wernau, WSJ, "America Has a Bacon Problem: Our Pigs Aren’t Fat Enough," 28 July 2017
Katie will show Holland Lops, a small breed of rabbits, and Cavy guinea pigs at the fair.

— margarita cambest, baltimoresun.com, "The 137th Maryland State Fair promises mix of old and new," 16 Aug. 2017
Wallace says that the team is testing this hypothesis by studying guinea pigs, which are the only lab animals that naturally develop knee arthritis, and the famous long-distance Tarahumara runners of Mexico.

— mitch leslie, Science | AAAS, "Knee arthritis in Americans has doubled since 1940," 14 Aug. 2017
A lot of minority communities still feel that research involves being a guinea pig.

— anna gorman, Kaiser Health News, "Lag In Brain Donation Hampers Understanding Of Dementia In Blacks," 9 Aug. 2017
The company outfits dogs and cats, but also has made carts for a ferret, a hedgehog, sheep, goats, hamsters and guinea pigs.

— alan berner, The Seattle Times, "Every good dog deserves a good walk — and this company helps them get it," 7 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'guinea.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of guinea

Guinea, Africa, supposed source of the gold from which it was made

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1664

See Words from the same year

Other Monetary Terms

clad, legend, numismatic, obverse, reverse, scrip, series, specie

Guinea

geographical name Guin·ea \ ˈgi-nē \

variants: or French Guinée play \gē-ˈnā\

Definition of Guinea

1 region of western Africa bordering on the Atlantic from Gambia (on the north) to Angola (on the south)

2 or formerly French Guinea republic in western Africa bordering on the Atlantic; formerly a territory of French West Africa; capital Conakry area 94,925 square miles (245,856 square kilometers), population 10,629,000

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Guinean

play \ˈgi-nē-ən\ adjective or noun

GUINEA Defined for English Language Learners

guinea

noun

Definition of guinea for English Language Learners

: an old British coin worth 21 shillings

GUINEA Defined for Kids

guinea

noun guin·ea \ ˈgi-nē \

Definition of guinea for Students

: an old British gold coin

Learn More about guinea

See words that rhyme with guinea Britannica English: Translation of guinea for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about guinea

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guinea

Definition of guinea

Recent Examples of guinea from the Web

Origin and Etymology of guinea

Other Monetary Terms

Guinea

Definition of Guinea

Guinean

GUINEA Defined for English Language Learners

guinea

Definition of guinea for English Language Learners

GUINEA Defined for Kids

guinea

Definition of guinea for Students

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guinea

Definition of guinea

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Origin and Etymology of guinea

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Guinea

Definition of Guinea

Guinean

GUINEA Defined for English Language Learners

guinea

Definition of guinea for English Language Learners

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guinea

Definition of guinea for Students

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