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guinea

 - 6 dictionary results
Guineafowl, guineahens
and other small-flock poultry. Backyard Poultry Magazine.
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Guin⋅ea

  [gin-ee]
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–noun
1. a coastal region in W Africa, extending from the Gambia River to the Gabon estuary.
2. Formerly, French Guinea. an independent republic in W Africa, on the Atlantic coast. 7,405,375; ab. 96,900 sq. mi. (251,000 sq. km). Capital: Conakry.
3. Gulf of, a part of the Atlantic Ocean that projects into the W coast of Africa and extends from the Ivory Coast to Gabon.
4. (lowercase) a former money of account of the United Kingdom, equal to 21 shillings: still often used in quoting fees or prices.
5. (lowercase) a gold coin of Great Britain issued from 1663 to 1813, with a nominal value of 20 shillings.
6. Slang: Disparaging and Offensive. a person of Italian birth or descent.
7. (lowercase) Horse Racing. a person who does miscellaneous work in or around a horse stable.
Related forms:
Guin⋅e⋅an, adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To guinea
Guineafowl, guineahens
and other small-flock poultry. Backyard Poultry Magazine.
www.backyardpoultrymag.com
guin·ea   (gĭn'ē)   
n.  

  1. Abbr. g.

    1. A gold coin issued in England from 1663 to 1813 and worth one pound and one shilling.

    2. The sum of one pound and one shilling.

  2. Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a person of Italian birth or descent.


[After the Guinea coast of Africa, the source of the gold from which it was first made.]
Guin·ea   (gĭn'ē)   


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  1. A historical region of western and equatorial Africa extending along the coast from Gambia to Angola. Sections of the area from the Bight of Benin westward were known to early traders as the Slave, Gold, Ivory, and Grain Coasts.

  2. A country of western Africa on the Atlantic Ocean. Inhabited by Fulani, Malinke, and Susu peoples, parts of present-day Guinea belonged to the medieval kingdom of Ghana and later to the Mali Empire. Explored by the Portuguese in the 15th century, it came under French control in the 19th century, becoming a French colony in 1893 and a part of French West Africa in 1895. Guinea gained its independence in 1958. Conakry is the capital and the largest city. Population: 9,950,000.

Guin'e·an adj. & n.
Guinea, Gulf of  
A broad inlet of the Atlantic Ocean formed by the great bend in the west-central coast of Africa. It includes the Bights of Benin and Biafra.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

Guinea [(gin-ee)]

Republic in west Africa, bordered by Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Mali to the north; Ivory Coast to the east; Liberia to the south; and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its capital and largest city is Conarky.

Note: Guinea was once part of the Mali empire.
Note: It became independent of France in 1958.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

guinea 
former British coin, 1664, from Guinea, region along the west coast of Africa, presumably from an African word; the 20-shilling coins so called because they were first minted for British trade with Guinea (but soon in domestic use) and with gold from Africa. The original guinea (in use from 1663 to 1813) was based on the value of gold and by 1695 it was worth 30 shillings. William III then fixed its value at 21 shillings, 6 pence in 1698. The extra 6 pence were lopped off in December 1717. The Guinea hen (1578) is a domestic fowl imported from there. Guinea "derogatory term for Italian" (1896) was originally Guinea Negro (1740s) and meant "black person, person of mixed ancestry." It was applied to Italians c.1890 probably because of their dark complexions relative to northern Europeans, and after 1911 was occasionally applied to Hispanics and Pacific Islanders as well.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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