guinea

IPA/ˈɡɪn.i/
KK[ɡˈɪni]IPA/ˈɡɪn.i/

guinea — noun

  • guineasingular
  • guineasplural

1. a nation on the Atlantic coast of West Africa whose economy is built on mining a

1.nounA2
Definition

a nation on the Atlantic coast of West Africa whose economy is built on mining and agriculture, with the capital city of Conakry.

Example

Nila spent two years teaching English in a small farming village in Guinea.

Guinea as a country for travel and work experiences

Guinea exports large amounts of bauxite, the main ore used to make aluminium.

Common collocations
  • the people of Guinea
  • the capital of Guinea
  • visit Guinea
  • live in Guinea
  • the government of Guinea
Synonyms
  • Republic of Guinea

    the full official name of the country, used in formal documents and diplomacy

Grammar Patterns

Guinea as subject + verb (third person singular)

Usage Note

There are three other countries with partially similar names: Guinea-Bissau (which borders Guinea to the northwest), Equatorial Guinea (in Central Africa), and Papua New Guinea (in Oceania). They are entirely separate nations with different governments, languages, and histories.

Common Mistakes

We flew to Guinea-Bissau, which is the same country as Guinea.
We flew to Guinea-Bissau, a separate country that borders Guinea to the northwest.
Guinea and Guinea-Bissau are two different nations.
Papua New Guinea is in Africa.
Papua New Guinea is a country in Oceania, north of Australia.
Despite its name, Papua New Guinea is nowhere near the African continent.

2. a gold coin from Britain's past, set at one pound and five pence (£1.05) in valu

2.nounB2
Definition

a gold coin from Britain's past, set at one pound and five pence (£1.05) in value, still used today as a pricing unit for certain traditional transactions such as racehorse sales and auctions.

Example

Hugo found three gold guineas inside a dusty leather pouch in his grandmother's attic.

gold guineas as historical collectible coins discovered in personal settings

The champion racehorse was sold for the impressive sum of ten thousand guineas at Newmarket.

guinea used as pricing unit in horse-racing transactions

Common collocations
  • guinea price
  • guinea fee
  • gold guinea
  • pay in guineas
  • quote in guineas
Synonyms
  • sovereign

    a later British £1 gold coin, also used historically but worth less than a guinea

Grammar Patterns

guinea + [number] construction for pricing

Usage Note

Prices are still sometimes quoted in guineas in traditional British contexts, especially horse racing and fine-art auctions. The term carries a sense of prestige or tradition — a fee of one hundred guineas (£105) sounds more exclusive than the same amount in pounds. In modern usage, the gold coin itself does not circulate, but the unit survives in specialised pricing.

Common Mistakes

I paid five guineas for my groceries.
I paid five guineas at the horse auction.
Guineas are not a unit for everyday shopping; they are used only in specific traditional contexts such as horse sales and fine-art auctions.
A guinea is worth exactly one pound.
A guinea is worth one pound and five pence (£1.05).
A guinea equals 21 shillings, not 20, so it is £1.05, not £1.00.
Idioms

Gulf of Guinea

idiom

the large area of the Atlantic Ocean that forms a curve along the coast of West Africa, extending roughly from Liberia to Gabon, together with the surrounding coastal lands.

Sade studied the shipping routes across the Gulf of Guinea for her geography project.

Pirates in the Gulf of Guinea have become a growing concern for international sailors.

Republic of Guinea

idiom

the official name of the West African country of Guinea, a former French colony that gained full independence in 1958, with Conakry as its capital city.

Darius wrote a report about the history of the Republic of Guinea for his world politics class.

The Republic of Guinea held its first democratic elections in the early 1990s.

Etymology

First known use

1664

1664, in the meaning defined at sense 1