Guinea

Guinea
Guinea Guin"ea (g[i^]n"[-e]), n. 1. A district on the west coast of Africa (formerly noted for its export of gold and slaves) after which the Guinea fowl, Guinea grass, Guinea peach, etc., are named. [1913 Webster]

2. A gold coin of England current for twenty-one shillings sterling, or about five dollars, but not coined since the issue of sovereigns in 1817. [1913 Webster]

The guinea, so called from the Guinea gold out of which it was first struck, was proclaimed in 1663, and to go for twenty shillings; but it never went for less than twenty-one shillings. --Pinkerton. [1913 Webster]

{Guinea corn}. (Bot.) See {Durra}.

{Guinea Current} (Geog.), a current in the Atlantic Ocean setting southwardly into the Bay of Benin on the coast of Guinea.

{Guinea dropper} one who cheats by dropping counterfeit guineas. [Obs.] --Gay.

{Guinea fowl}, {Guinea hen} (Zo["o]l.), an African gallinaceous bird, of the genus {Numida}, allied to the pheasants. The common domesticated species ({Numida meleagris}), has a colored fleshy horn on each aide of the head, and is of a dark gray color, variegated with small white spots. The crested Guinea fowl ({Numida cristata}) is a finer species.

{Guinea grains} (Bot.), grains of Paradise, or amomum. See {Amomum}.

{Guinea grass} (Bot.), a tall strong forage grass ({Panicum jumentorum}) introduced. from Africa into the West Indies and Southern United States.

{Guinea-hen flower} (Bot.), a liliaceous flower ({Fritillaria Meleagris}) with petals spotted like the feathers of the Guinea hen.

{Guinea peach}. See under {Peach}.

{Guinea pepper} (Bot.), the pods of the {Xylopia aromatica}, a tree of the order {Anonace[ae]}, found in tropical West Africa. They are also sold under the name of {Piper [AE]thiopicum}.

{Guinea plum} (Bot.), the fruit of {Parinarium excelsum}, a large West African tree of the order {Chrysobalane[ae]}, having a scarcely edible fruit somewhat resembling a plum, which is also called {gray plum} and {rough-skin plum}.

{Guinea worm} (Zo["o]l.), a long and slender African nematoid worm ({Filaria Medinensis}) of a white color. It lives in the cellular tissue of man, beneath the skin, and produces painful sores. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Guinea — Guinea …   Deutsch Wörterbuch

  • guinea — former British coin, 1660s, from Guinea, region along the west coast of Africa, presumably from an African word (perhaps Tuareg aginaw black people ); the 20 shilling coins so called because they were first minted for British trade with Guinea… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Guinea —  , Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea  They are separate countries, all in West Africa. Guinea was formerly French Guinea. GuineaBissau was formerly Portuguese Guinea. Equatorial Guinea was formerly Spanish Guinea …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Guinea —    Guinea, or Guinea Coast, is a geographical term of Berber origins used by Europeans from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries to designate varying sections of the western coast of Africa, a region that formed one apex of the Atlantic… …   Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914

  • Guinea — Ober Guinea und West Sudan …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Guinea [2] — Guinēa (spr. gi ), Küstenland in Westafrika, vom Kap Roxo bis zum Kap Negro, vom Kap Lopez geteilt in Ober oder Nord G. (G. im engern Sinne) und in Nieder oder Süd G. In der Nordostecke von Ober G. dringt der Golf von G. mit den Baien von Benin… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • GUINEA — vulgo la Guinee, regio Aficae perampla, inter Nigrititam ad Bor. et mare Atlanticum ad Austr. et inter regnum Congi ad Ort. et montem Leonis ad Occas. Regio est abundans et fertilis, ab Ort. in Occas. valde extensa, et ab Europaeis admodum… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • guinea — [gin′ē] n. [the gold of which it was first made came from Guinea] 1. a former English gold coin, last minted in 1813, equal to 21 shillings: the word is still used in England in giving prices of luxury items 2. GUINEA FOWL 3. Slang an Italian or… …   English World dictionary

  • Guinēa — Guinēa, ein großer Theil der Westseite Afrikas, zu beiden Seiten des Äquator. Gewöhnlich versteht man aber unter G. den Küstenstrich zwischen dem Äquator u. 10° nördl. Br., welcher zum Unterschiede von dem südlich vom Äquator liegenden… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Guinēa — (spr. gi ; hierzu die Karte »Ober Guinea und West Sudân«), Teil der Westküste Afrikas, vom Kap Roxo (12°19´ nördl. Br.) bis Kap Negro (16° südl. Br.), zerfällt in zwei Teile: Oberguinea und Niederguinea, deren Grenze von Kap Lopez im… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

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