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centesimo

[ sen-tes-uh-moh; Italian chen-te-zee-maw; Spanish sen-te-see-maw ]
/ sɛnˈtɛs əˌmoʊ; Italian tʃɛnˈtɛ zi mɔ; Spanish sɛnˈtɛ siˌmɔ /
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noun, plural cen·tes·i·mi [sen-tes-uh-mee; Italian chen-te-zee-mee], /sɛnˈtɛs ə mi; Italian tʃɛnˈtɛ zi mi/, cen·tes·i·mos [sen-tes-uh-mohz; Spanish sen-te-see-maws]. /sɛnˈtɛs əˌmoʊz; Spanish sɛnˈtɛ siˌmɔs/.
a monetary unit of Italy until the euro was adopted, one 100th of a lira.
a cupronickel coin of Uruguay, one 100th of a peso.
a copper coin of Panama, one 100th of a balboa.
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Origin of centesimo

First recorded in 1850–55; from Italian, Spanish, from Latin centēsimus; see centesimal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use centesimo in a sentence

  • He never spends a soldo, I am positive; and if he drops a centesimo under the benches, he is capable of hunting for it for a week.

    Cuore (Heart)|Edmondo De Amicis
  • I shall rot in hell before ever I put one centesimo into your filthy claws!

    The Wolf Cub|Patrick Casey
  • I will give two sous for the original four, and not a centesimo more.

    Saunterings|Charles Dudley Warner

British Dictionary definitions for centesimo (1 of 2)

centesimo
/ (sɛnˈtɛsɪˌməʊ) /

noun plural -mos or -mi
a former monetary unit of Italy, San Marino, and the Vatican City worth one hundredth of a lira

Word Origin for centesimo

C19: from Italian, from Latin centēsimus hundredth, from centum hundred

British Dictionary definitions for centesimo (2 of 2)

centésimo
/ (sɛnˈtɛsɪˌməʊ) /

noun plural -mos or -mi
a monetary unit of Panama and Uruguay. It is worth one hundredth of their respective standard units

Word Origin for centésimo

C19: from Spanish; see centesimo
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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