Penny Napoleonic Wars prompted the use of base metals in 1797. Despite the decimalization of currencies in the United States and, later, throughout the British Commonwealth, the name remains in informal use. No penny is currently formally subdivided, although farthings (¼ d.), halfpennies, and half cents have previously been minted and the mill (1/10¢) remains in use as a unit of account in some contexts. "Penny" is first attested in a 1394 Scots text, a variant of Old English ', a development of numerous variations including ', ', and '. The etymology of the term "penny" is uncertain, although cognates are
Deben (unit) Deben (unit) The deben was an ancient Egyptian weight unit. Stone weights from the Old Kingdom have been found, weighing about 13.6 grams. Similar weights from the Middle Kingdom were discovered at Lisht. From the Middle Kingdom date also "deben" weight units used for metals, referred to as copper deben and gold deben, the former being about twice as heavy (c. 23.7 grams) as the latter. From the New Kingdom one "deben" was equal to about 91 grams. It was divided into ten "kidet" (alt. "kit", "kite" or "qedet"), or into what is referred to by Egyptologists as 'pieces', one