coin

coin

I. coin¹ S3 /kɔɪn/ BrE AmE noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: 'three-sided piece, corner', from Latin cuneus; ⇨ cuneiform]

1. [countable] a piece of metal, usually flat and round, that is used as money ⇨ bill, note
2. toss/flip a coin to choose or decide something by throwing a coin into the air and guessing which side of it will show when it falls:
Toss a coin to see who goes first.
3. the other/opposite side of the coin a different or opposite way of thinking about something:
Making the rules is only part of it. How the rules are carried out is the other side of the coin.
4. two sides of the same coin two problems or situations that are so closely connected that they are really just two parts of the same thing:
Great opportunity and great danger are two sides of the same coin.
5. [uncountable] money in the form of metal coins
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THESAURUS
▪ money what you use to buy things, in the form of notes or coins: He spent all his money on computer equipment.
▪ cash money in the form of coins and notes: I didn’t have any cash with me.
▪ currency the money used in a particular country: The dollar gained in value against other currencies. | a single European currency
▪ change money in the form of coins of low value: Do you have any small change? | a pocketful of loose change
▪ note British English, bill American English a piece of paper money: a £20 note | a $5 bill
▪ coin a flat round piece of metal used as money: She put some coins in the parking meter. | He took a coin out of his pocket.
▪ a ten-pence/50-cent etc piece a coin worth a particular amount
II. coin² BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1. to invent a new word or expression, especially one that many people start to use:
The word ‘aromatherapy’ was coined in the 1920s.
2. to coin a phrase spoken said in a joking way when you use a very common expression, to show that you know it is used a lot:
He’d thought the flight would never – to coin a phrase – get off the ground.
3. coin money/coin it (in) British English informal to earn a lot of money very quickly:
BT at its profitable peak was coining it at the rate of £90 a second.
4. to make pieces of money from metal