From Turkic *täŋkä* (a silver coin), borrowed into Old Russian during the Mongol period (13th–15th centuries). The singular form *деньга* (a small coin) gave rise to the now exclusively plural *деньги*. The same Turkic root also produced the word "tenge," the modern currency of Kazakhstan.

*Деньги* is a pluralia tantum — it exists only in the plural form in modern Russian, with no standard singular in everyday speech (the archaic *деньга* is long obsolete). A common Russian proverb is «Деньги не пахнут» ("Money has no smell"), echoing the Latin *pecunia non olet* attributed to Emperor Vespasian. Russians may also use the affectionate diminutive «деньжата» (a little money) or informal «бабки» (slang for cash).