franc

[ frangk; French frahn ]

noun

, plural francs [frangks, f, r, ah, n].

1. an aluminum or nickel coin and monetary unit of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 centimes. : F., f., Fr, fr.
2. any of the monetary units of various other nations and territories, as Liechtenstein, Martinique, Senegal, Switzerland, and Tahiti, equal to 100 centimes.
3. a former silver coin of France, first issued under Henry III.
4. a former monetary unit of Algeria, Guinea, and Morocco.

franc

/ fræŋk; frɑ̃ /

noun

1. Also calledFrench franc the former standard monetary unit of France, most French dependencies, Andorra, and Monaco, divided into 100 centimes; replaced by the euro in 2002
2. the former standard monetary unit of Belgium ( Belgian franc ) and Luxembourg ( Luxembourg franc ), divided into 100 centimes; replaced by the euro in 2002
3. Also calledSwiss franc the standard monetary unit of Switzerland and Liechtenstein, divided into 100 centimes
4. Also calledfranc CFACFA francfranc of the African financial community the standard monetary unit, comprising 100 centimes, of the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo
5. the standard monetary unit of Burundi ( Burundi franc ), Comoros ( Comorian franc ), Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaïre; Congolese franc ), Djibouti ( Djibouti franc ), Guinea ( Guinea franc ), Madagascar ( franc malgache ), Rwanda ( Rwanda franc ), and French Polynesia and New Caledonia ( French Pacific franc )

Word History and Origins

Origin of franc¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English frank, from Middle French franc, so called because the coin was first inscribed with the name of the king as Medieval Latin Rēx Francōrum “King of the Franks”; Frank ¹( def ); frank ¹( def )

Example Sentences

Seven currencies are currently in use in West Africa’s 15 countries, with eight mostly French- speaking nations using CFA francs.

From Quartz

She’s wrapping up one of several meetings that day with her research team at University of California, San Francisco, where she heads the Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center.

From Time

It’s a blend of merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon, with an added healthy dose of fun.

From Washington Post

In politics, there are inevitably issues that divide that coalition (Franc cited immigration as an example).

From The Daily Beast

If you always suspected that the Heritage Foundation wanted its policy work to toe an ideological line, Franc agrees with you!

From The Daily Beast

Franc notes that this is a "judgement call" but look at what Franc is saying here about the Heritage Foundation and conservatism.

From The Daily Beast

At last she had fallen asleep and dreamed ecstatic dreams about diamond necklaces and thousand franc notes.

From Project Gutenberg

One day Aristide, with an unexpected franc or two in his pocket, stopped in front of a bureau de tabac.

From Project Gutenberg

He drew out his fat note-case and counted twenty-five one-thousand-franc notes on to the table.

From Project Gutenberg

They were divided into five regiments, and each man was paid a franc a-day by the French authorities.

From Project Gutenberg

For one franc that these men had at stake, it was probable that John Turner had a thousand.

From Project Gutenberg