groat
/grout/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A former English silver coin worth four pennies: A historical coin used in England, primarily during the medieval and early modern periods. It was a small silver coin with a value of four pence (four pennies).
- A very small sum of money; a trifling amount: By extension, "groat" can refer to an insignificant or trivial amount of money, often used in negative or dismissive phrases.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Historical Coin):
- The museum displayed a groat from the reign of Edward III.
- In the 14th century, a groat was a significant unit of currency.
- Noun (Trivial Amount):
- His opinion isn't worth a groat.
- I wouldn't give a groat for that old, broken chair.
Advanced Usage
- "not care a groat": To not care at all; to be completely indifferent.
- He doesn't care a groat about what people think of his fashion choices.
- "without a groat": To be completely penniless; to have no money at all.
- After the trip, he found himself without a groat.
Variants and Related Words
- Groat is the standard spelling. The variant grote is an archaic spelling sometimes seen in historical texts.
- Fourpence: A term that can be synonymous with the coin's value, though "fourpence" is more general and "groat" specifically refers to the coin itself.
Synonyms
- Trifle: A small, insignificant amount.
- Mite: A very small sum of money or contribution.
- Farthing: Another historical British coin of very low value, often used similarly to mean a trivial amount.
Idioms and Phrases
- Not worth a groat: Completely worthless or of no value.
- That rusty old bicycle is not worth a groat.
- Not have a groat to one's name: To be extremely poor.
- When he first arrived in the city, he didn't have a groat to his name.
Noun
- a former English silver coin worth four pennies