coinage

IPA/ˈkɔɪnɪdʒ/
KK[kˈɔɪnɪdʒ]IPA/ˈkɔɪnɪdʒ/

coinage — noun

  • coinagesingular
  • coinagesplural

1. the metal money pieces — such as a country's pennies, dimes, or yen coins — that

1.nounB1
Definition

the metal money pieces — such as a country's pennies, dimes, or yen coins — that its government produces and its people use to buy things

Example

The euro coinage includes pieces from eight different denominations, from one cent to two euros.

collocation: coinage + of [denominations]

Visitors to Britain often keep old penny coins as souvenirs of the country's coinage.

Common collocations
  • silver coinage
  • gold coinage
  • copper coinage
  • decimal coinage
  • the country's coinage
  • the realm's coinage
Synonyms
  • currency

    broader term — includes both coins and paper money

  • specie

    formal, technical term for coins as opposed to banknotes

  • coins

    everyday word for individual metal pieces of money

Antonyms
  • paper money

    banknotes used alongside or instead of metal coins

  • banknotes

    paper currency as opposed to metal coinage

Usage Note

Uncountable only in this sense. Refers to coins as a collective system, not individual pieces. For a single piece of money, use the countable noun 'coin'.

Common Mistakes

I found three coinages in my pocket.
I found three coins in my pocket.
'Coinage' (Sense 1) is uncountable and refers to the whole system, not individual coins.

2. a term or expression that a speaker or writer creates for the first time — like

2.nounB2
Definition

a term or expression that a speaker or writer creates for the first time — like 'selfie' or 'blog' — and that spreads into everyday use; also the process of creating such a term

Example

The word 'selfie' is a relatively recent coinage that spread quickly through social media.

collocation: recent coinage

Linguists study how a new coinage enters a language and whether it survives over time.

coinage + enters a language (subject-verb pattern)

Common collocations
  • recent coinage
  • modern coinage
  • new coinage
  • popular coinage
  • linguistic coinage
  • internet coinage
Synonyms
  • neologism

    formal linguistics term for a newly coined word

  • invention

    broader — applies to any created thing, not only words

  • new word

    plain, everyday alternative to 'coinage'

Antonyms
  • archaism

    an old or outdated word that is no longer in common use

  • obsolete word

    a word that has fallen out of use in the language

Usage Note

Can be countable (referring to a specific invented word, e.g. 'a recent coinage') or uncountable (referring to the process, e.g. 'the coinage of new terms'). Common in linguistic and literary discussion.

Common Mistakes

Selfie" is a new coin.
Selfie" is a recent coinage.
'Coin' means a piece of metal money; 'coinage' is the linguistic term for a newly invented word or phrase.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All three words describe something newly created, but they differ in scope and register. 'Neologism' is the formal, technical term used in linguistics and academic writing — it refers specifically to a brand-new word or expression that has entered a language, such as 'cybersecurity' or 'vlog'. 'Coinage' (the target word) overlaps closely with 'neologism' but sounds less academic; it can also refer to the process of inventing, not just the result. 'Invention' is much broader — it applies to any newly created thing, from a machine to a story to a word. Use 'invention' when the focus is on creativity itself rather than language. 'New word' is the plainest, most everyday alternative, best suited for casual conversation. For example: 'Scientists track each new coinage in the dictionary' (natural), 'Linguists study the lifecycle of a neologism' (formal), and 'She has an invention for every problem' (broad).

neologism ↗invention ↗new word

Common collocations

Adverbs

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'coinage' comes from the Latin 'cuneus' meaning 'wedge'. This became 'coigne' in Old French — a wedge-shaped metal stamp used to press designs onto blank pieces of metal to make coins. English added the suffix '-age' to 'coin' to form 'coinage', which first meant the process of stamping metal into money, and later expanded to mean the coins themselves. The linguistic sense (creating new words) appeared in the 1800s, drawing on the metaphor of 'coining' phrases as if stamping them into existence.