shilling

noun

shil·​ling ˈshi-liŋ 

1

a

: a former monetary unit of the United Kingdom equal to 12 pence or ¹/₂₀ pound

b

: a former monetary unit equal to ¹/₂₀ pound of any of various countries in or formerly in the Commonwealth of Nations

2

: a coin representing one shilling

3

: any of several early American coins

4

the basic monetary unit of Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda see Money Table

Examples of shilling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Parish records noted a young woman named Maria who donated 24 shillings to the church in Ojä, also on Gotland, after a trip to Stockholm. —Maggie Lewis Thomas, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Dec. 2024

The most famous and abundant are the pine tree shillings, which featured the image of one of the colony’s biggest exports: pine lumber for ships. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024

In addition to silver threepences, the Boston mint also made sixpences and shillings in four different designs between 1652 and 1682. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2024

Painted high on the wall is ‘5/-’, indicating an admission price of five shillings in old money. —Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 5 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English scilling; akin to Old High German skilling, a gold coin

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

shilling

noun

shil·​ling ˈshil-iŋ 

1

: a former unit of British money equal to ¹⁄₂₀ pound

2

: a coin equal to ¹⁄₂₀ pound in any of several countries of the Commonwealth of Nations

3

: any of several early American coins

4

a

: the basic unit of money of Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda

b

: a coin representing this unit