euro

¹

[yoor-oh, yur-]

noun

plural

euros ,

plural

euro .

1. wallaroo.

euro

²

[yoor-oh, yur-]

noun

plural

euros, euro 

1. (sometimes initial capital letter),  the official common currency of 19 European Union nations (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain). It is also the official currency of Andorra, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, and the Vatican City. In 1999 the euro was first adopted by 11 nations as an alternative currency in noncash transactions. Then in 2002 the euro fully replaced existing currencies in 12 European Union nations, before being adopted more widely. €

Euro

³

[yoor-oh, yur-]

adjective

Informal.

1. European.

   a Euro expert.

Euro-

⁴

especially before a vowel, Eur-

1. a shortening of European used as a combining form, especially with the meaning “western European,” particularly in reference to the European financial market or the European Economic Community.

   Eurodollar; Eurofarmers.

euro

¹

/ ˈjʊərəʊ /

noun

1. the official currency unit, divided into 100 cents, of the member countries of the European Union who have adopted European Monetary Union; these are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portgual, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain; also used by Andorra, Bosnia-Herzegovina, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Kosovo, Martinique, Mayotte, Monaco, Montenegro, Réunion, San Marino, and the Vatican City

euro-

²

/ ˈjʊərəʊ- /

combining form

1. Europe or European

   eurodollar

euro

1. The common currency used in eleven countries of the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain). The euro became the official currency of these nations in 1999, but nations were not obliged to phase out their existing currencies until 2002. The expectation is that introduction of the euro will stimulate cross-border investment by eliminating fluctuating exchange rates.

Word History and Origins

Origin of euro¹

From Ngajuri (an Australian Aboriginal language spoken around Jamestown and Peterborough, South Australia) yuru

Origin of euro²

1970–75; shortening of Eurocurrency

Origin of euro³

Independent use of Euro-

Example Sentences

The euro is tied to an economy with sclerotic growth and existential breakup risks.

Read more on Barron's

The euro has fallen around 1.2% against the dollar this month, and was under pressure again Thursday.

Read more on Barron's

Typically, the currency of a country imposing tariffs strengthens against the currency of the target country, but instead the dollar has weakened against the euro.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

In both France and Germany, populists who in the past advocated abandoning the euro are leading the polls.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

That helped gold this year overtake the euro as the second-largest reserve asset.

Read more on Wall Street Journal