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Added 9 October 2026

guinea

/ˈɡɪni/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about guinea at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A former British gold coin worth 21 shillings.
(ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Italian descent.
A republic in western Africa on the Atlantic; formerly a French colony; achieved independence from France in 1958.

Origin

From Guinea, the early modern name for West Africa, the coins originally being made of gold from the region, mostly from the 'Gold Coast' (modern Ghana) and used for African trade, and the guinea fowl being found there. Its use as an ethnic slur against Italians may be due to their darker complexion compared to people of Anglo-American descent.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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