pice

Where does the word "pice" come from? It comes from Sanskrit padamsha, passing through Hindi before entering English (18th c.).

Pice’s story begins in Sanskrit: padamsha meant “a quarter portion.” Compound meaning 'quarter part'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Hindi as paisa. Became the name of a small copper coin. It reached English by 18th c. as pice. British India used the anglicized spelling for the coin, worth a fraction of a rupee. Today, pice means a historical small copper coin of British India, equal to a fraction of a rupee; the modern paisa is its successor.

1. Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient padamsha "a quarter portion", compound meaning 'quarter part'.
2. Stage 2 · Hindi · medieval paisa "a small copper coin", became the name of a small copper coin.
3. Stage 3 · English · 18th c. pice "a small coin, historically 1/64 of a rupee", British India used the anglicized spelling for the coin, worth a fraction of a rupee.