drachma

American  

[drak-muh, drahk-] / ˈdræk mə, ˈdrɑk- /

noun

drachmas, plural drachmae plural

1. a cupronickel coin and monetary unit of modern Greece until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 lepta. dr., drch.

2. the principal silver coin of ancient Greece.

3. a small unit of weight in ancient Greece, approximately equivalent to the U.S. and British apothecaries' dram.

4. any of various modern weights, especially a dram.

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drachma British  

/ ˈdrækmə /

noun

1. the former standard monetary unit of Greece, divided into 100 lepta; replaced by the euro in 2002

2. another name for dram

3. a silver coin of ancient Greece

4. a unit of weight in ancient Greece

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• drachmal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• drachmae
  plural
• drachmas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of drachma

1520–30; < Latin < Greek drachmḗ, probably equivalent to drach- base of drássesthai to grasp + -mē noun suffix (hence literally, handful)

Explanation

In Greece, the drachma was once the national currency. The Greek drachma was replaced by the euro in 2002. The drachma has a long history in Greece, going all the way back to 800 BC. The word derives from a Greek root meaning "to grasp" or "a handful," and the ancient drachma was originally a handful or fistfull of metal sticks used to buy and trade. The modern version of this currency was a variety of metal coins in various denominations. The drachma was retired officially in 2002 and replaced with the euro.