groat

noun /ɡɹoʊt/

1. Any of various old coins of England and Scotland.

   archaic, historical

   And ſcarſe a houſe to hide her head, Sometimes no penny to buy her bread, Muſt pay her Landlord many a groat, Or twil be puld out of her throat:

   The Widdow that hath but a pan of braſſe,

2. Any of various old coins of England and Scotland. — Any unit of currency worth four pence.

   archaic, historical

3. Any of various old coins of England and Scotland. — A historical English coin representing such a unit: a silver coin worth four English pennies, still minted as one of the set of Maundy coins.

   archaic, historical

   Would make a miracle of thus much coin …

   The needy groom, that never finger'd groat,

4. A proverbial small sum; a whit or jot.

Where it comes from

Possibly from Middle Dutch groot, the Old French gros Tournois (“a coin of Tours”), gros being from Medieval Latin denarius grossus (“large coin”). Related to German Groschen.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry groat (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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