denier
denier Lexical Profile
denier Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person who refuses to admit the truth or existence of something, especially an established scientific fact or historical event.
"The documentary featured interviews with several historians who challenged the claims of the vocal denier."
A unit of weight by which the fineness and linear mass density of silk, rayon, or nylon yarn is measured, equal to the weight in grams of 9,000 meters of the filament.
"She bought a pair of thick, eighty-denier tights to keep warm during the winter commute."
A former French coin of very small value, originally made of silver and later of copper, equal to one twelfth of a sou.
"In medieval French accounting records, transactions were routinely recorded in livres, sous, and deniers."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Denier' represents two distinct homographs with different pronunciations: when referring to a person who denies something, it rhymes with 'flier' (/dɪˈnaɪər/); when referring to the textile unit of fiber density or the historical French coin, it is pronounced /ˈdɛnjər/ or /dəˈnɪər/.
• Rhymes for denier
Word Origin & Etymology
The sense meaning 'one who denies' is formed within English from the verb 'deny' and the agentive suffix '-er'. The textile unit and historical coin senses come from Old French 'denier', from Latin 'denarius' (a Roman silver coin originally worth ten asses), which was later used as a small unit of weight for measuring silk.