Mite <1,,3016, lepton>
the neuter of the adjective leptos, signifying, firstly, "peeled," then, "fine, thin, small, light," became used as a noun, denoting a small copper coin, often mentioned in the Mishna as proverbially the smallest Jewish coin. It was valued at 1/8th of the Roman as, and the 1/128th part of the denarius: its legal value was about one third of an English farthing; Mar 12:42 lit. reads "two lepta, which make a kodrantes (a quadrans);" in Luk 12:59 "the last lepton" corresponds in effect to Mat 5:26, "the uttermost kodrantes," "farthing;" elsewhere Luk 21:2; see FARTHING.
