Guinea - Wiktionary

See also: Guinea

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:guinea (coin)Wikipedia

English Wikipedia has an article on:guinea (disambiguation)Wikipedia

Etymology

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From Guinea, the early modern name for West Africa, the coins originally being made of gold from the region, mostly from the 'Gold Coast' (modern Ghana) and used for African trade, and the guinea fowl being found there.

Its use as an ethnic slur against Italians may be due to their darker complexion compared to people of Anglo-American descent.

Pronunciation

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• IPA(key): /ˈɡɪni/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪni

Noun

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guinea (plural guineas)

1. (British, historical) A gold coin originally worth twenty shillings; later (from 1717 until the adoption of decimal currency) standardised at a value of twenty-one shillings.
   • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Georges, and Louises, doubloons and double guineas and moidores and sequins, the pictures of all the kings of Europe for the last hundred years, strange Oriental pieces stamped with what looked like wisps of string or bits of spider's web, round pieces and square pieces, and pieces bored through the middle, as if to wear them round your neck—nearly every variety of money in the world must, I think, have found a place in that collection...
   • 1962 June, “New Reading on Railways: Locomotives of British Railways, by H. C. Casserley & L. Asher, Spring Books, 21s.”, in Modern Railways, page 432:However, since there are 488 pages in all for a bargain price of a guinea one must not be too carping.
2. Synonym of guinea fowl.
   • 1944, Emily Carr, “Brooding and Homing”, in The House of All Sorts‎[1]:The guineas peeped complainingly, the goslings waddled into all the puddles and came back to chill my skin.
3. (US, slang, derogatory, ethnic slur) A person of Italian descent.
   • 1982, Stephen King, Survivor Type:If I’m to tell the whole truth—and why not? I sure have the time!—I’ll have to start by saying I was born Richard Pinzetti, in New York’s Little Italy. My father was an Old World guinea.

Synonyms

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• (person of Italian descent): dago, Eyetie, goombah, greaseball, guido, wog, wop

Derived terms

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• gn.
• guinea-fowl
• guinea grains
• guinea hen weed
• guinea keet
• guinea-pig
• guinea pig
• guinea pig director
• guinea piglet
• guinea squash
• guinea stand
• guinea tee
• guinea-worm
• guinea worm
• helmeted guinea fowl
• long-eared guinea pig

Descendants

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• → Arabic: جُنَيْه (junayh)
• → Egyptian Arabic: جنيه (ginēh)
• → Irish: gine
• → Scottish Gaelic: gini
• → Spanish: guinea
• → Welsh: gini

Translations

[edit] person of Italian descent — see wop coin worth 21 shillings

Arabic: جُنَيْه m (junayh) Asturian: guinea (ast) f Bulgarian: гвинея f (gvineja) Chinese: Mandarin: 堅尼 / 坚尼 (jiānní) Finnish: guinea (fi) French: guinée (fr) f German: Guinee (de) f Gujarati: ગીની f (gīnī) Hindi: गिनी (hi) m (ginī) Irish: gine m Italian: ghinea f Japanese: ギニー (ja) (ginī) Korean: 기니 (ko) (gini) Māori: kini Polish: gwinea (pl) f Portuguese: guinéu (pt) m Russian: гине́я (ru) f (ginéja) Scottish Gaelic: gini m Spanish: guinea (es) f Welsh: gini f

References

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• “guinea”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Finnish

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Etymology

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From English guinea.

Pronunciation

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• IPA(key): /ˈɡineɑ/, [ˈɡine̞ɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ineɑ

Noun

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guinea

1. guinea (British gold coin)

Declension

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Inflection of guinea (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
nominative		guinea	guineat
genitive		guinean	guineoidenguineoitten
partitive		guineaa	guineoita
illative		guineaan	guineoihin
singular	plural
nominative		guinea	guineat
accusative	nom.	guinea	guineat
	gen.	guinean
genitive		guinean	guineoidenguineoittenguineainrare
partitive		guineaa	guineoita
inessive		guineassa	guineoissa
elative		guineasta	guineoista
illative		guineaan	guineoihin
adessive		guinealla	guineoilla
ablative		guinealta	guineoilta
allative		guinealle	guineoille
essive		guineana	guineoina
translative		guineaksi	guineoiksi
abessive		guineatta	guineoitta
instructive		—	guineoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of guinea (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative guineani guineani accusative nom. guineani guineani gen. guineani genitive guineani guineoideniguineoitteniguineainirare partitive guineaani guineoitani inessive guineassani guineoissani elative guineastani guineoistani illative guineaani guineoihini adessive guineallani guineoillani ablative guinealtani guineoiltani allative guinealleni guineoilleni essive guineanani guineoinani translative guineakseni guineoikseni abessive guineattani guineoittani instructive — — comitative — guineoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative guineasi guineasi accusative nom. guineasi guineasi gen. guineasi genitive guineasi guineoidesiguineoittesiguineaisirare partitive guineaasi guineoitasi inessive guineassasi guineoissasi elative guineastasi guineoistasi illative guineaasi guineoihisi adessive guineallasi guineoillasi ablative guinealtasi guineoiltasi allative guineallesi guineoillesi essive guineanasi guineoinasi translative guineaksesi guineoiksesi abessive guineattasi guineoittasi instructive — — comitative — guineoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative guineamme guineamme accusative nom. guineamme guineamme gen. guineamme genitive guineamme guineoidemmeguineoittemmeguineaimmerare partitive guineaamme guineoitamme inessive guineassamme guineoissamme elative guineastamme guineoistamme illative guineaamme guineoihimme adessive guineallamme guineoillamme ablative guinealtamme guineoiltamme allative guineallemme guineoillemme essive guineanamme guineoinamme translative guineaksemme guineoiksemme abessive guineattamme guineoittamme instructive — — comitative — guineoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative guineanne guineanne accusative nom. guineanne guineanne gen. guineanne genitive guineanne guineoidenneguineoittenneguineainnerare partitive guineaanne guineoitanne inessive guineassanne guineoissanne elative guineastanne guineoistanne illative guineaanne guineoihinne adessive guineallanne guineoillanne ablative guinealtanne guineoiltanne allative guineallenne guineoillenne essive guineananne guineoinanne translative guineaksenne guineoiksenne abessive guineattanne guineoittanne instructive — — comitative — guineoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative guineansa guineansa accusative nom. guineansa guineansa gen. guineansa genitive guineansa guineoidensaguineoittensaguineainsarare partitive guineaansa guineoitaanguineoitansa inessive guineassaanguineassansa guineoissaanguineoissansa elative guineastaanguineastansa guineoistaanguineoistansa illative guineaansa guineoihinsa adessive guineallaanguineallansa guineoillaanguineoillansa ablative guinealtaanguinealtansa guineoiltaanguineoiltansa allative guinealleenguineallensa guineoilleenguineoillensa essive guineanaanguineanansa guineoinaanguineoinansa translative guineakseenguineaksensa guineoikseenguineoiksensa abessive guineattaanguineattansa guineoittaanguineoittansa instructive — — comitative — guineoineenguineoinensa

Spanish

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Pronunciation

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• IPA(key): /ɡiˈnea/ [ɡiˈne.a]
• Rhymes: -ea
• Syllabification: gui‧ne‧a

Etymology 1

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Borrowed from English guinea.

Noun

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guinea f (plural guineas)

1. guinea (British gold coin)

Etymology 2

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See guineo.

Noun

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guinea f (plural guineas)

1. female equivalent of guineo

Adjective

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guinea

1. feminine singular of guineo

Further reading

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• “guinea”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025