A Scottish coin of small value, historically used in Scotland from the 16th century onward.
From Scottish Gaelic, possibly from the name of a moneyer or mint-master. The term became standard for small-denomination Scottish coins, eventually used metaphorically to mean anything of little value.
The baubee is why Scots developed rich slang for money—when small coins became common, people needed creative names for them, which is how languages grow fastest, through necessity and commerce.
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