Table of Contents
Definition of Coin
(verb) To invent a new word or phrase; make up; originate.
Examples of Coin
- familification – Todd L. Goodsell in “Familification: Family, Neighborhood Change, and Housing Policy” (2013).
- gentrification – Ruth Glass in London: Aspects of Change (1964).
- McDonalization – George Ritzer (born 1940) in The McDonaldization of Society (1993).
- meritocracy – Michael Young (1915–2002) in The Rise of the Meritocracy, 1870-2033: An Essay on Education and Equality (1958).
- rite of passage – Charles Arnold van Gennep (1873–1957) in Les rites de passage (1909).
Coin Pronunciation
Syllabification: coin
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /kOIn/
- British English – /kOIn/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /kɔɪn/
- British English – /kɔɪn/
Usage Notes
- The idiom “to coin a phrase” comes from this term.
- You can also coin something by using it in a particular way for the first time.
- A sociolinguist studies the coining of words.
- A (noun) coiner (verb) coins a new word.
Additional Information
- Sociolinguistics Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “coin” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
Cite the Definition of Coin
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “coin.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 27, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/coin/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
coin. (2015). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/coin/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “coin.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 27, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/coin/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“coin.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/coin/>.