guinea

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B2 — Upper-Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

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

Etymology

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.

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