centime

American  

[sahn-teem, sahn-teem] / ˈsɑn tim, sɑ̃ˈtim /

noun

plural

centimes

1. a monetary unit of various nations and territories, as Lichtenstein, Martinique, Senegal, Switzerland, and Tahiti, one 100th of a franc.

2. a monetary unit of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg until the euro was adopted, one 100th of a franc.

3. a money of account of Haiti, one 100th of a gourde.

4. an aluminum coin and monetary unit of Algeria, one 100th of a dinar.

5. an aluminum coin and monetary unit of Morocco, one 100th of a dirham.

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centime British  

/ sɑ̃tim, ˈsɒnˌtiːm /

noun

1. a monetary unit of Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, French Polynesia, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Mali, Mayotte, Morocco, New Caledonia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Switzerland, and Togo. It is worth one hundredth of their respective standard units

2. a former monetary unit of Andorra, Belgium, France, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Luxembourg, Martinique, Monaco, and Réunion, worth one hundredth of a franc

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Etymology

Origin of centime

First recorded in 1795–1805; from French; Old French centiesme, from Latin centēsimum, accusative of centēsimus “hundredth”; see cent

Explanation

Just like a cent is one-hundredth of a dollar, a centime is one-hundredth of a franc, a basic unit of money once used in France and still used in Switzerland and some other places. Centimes aren't as common as they used to be, as some European countries that used to use francs now use euros. However, the centime lives on in some countries, especially those that were colonized or heavily influenced by France and still have many French speakers. For example, Algeria and Morocco still refer to one-hundredth of their base currencies — dinars and dirhams, respectively — as centimes.

Example Sentences

Writing about the task at the time, she said she had to "put every single centime aside to pay" the book's printer.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2022

The owner of one modest boat sent a €10,000 donation but the tycoons and oligarchs failed to come up with a centime.

From The Guardian • Jul. 31, 2018

Perhaps McDonald’s will find a way around the rule, just as Amazon got around a recent French law that prevented discount booksellers from offering free delivery by proposing delivery for 1 centime.

From Slate • Jul. 24, 2014

"What's more I never stole a single centime."

From The Guardian • Jun. 7, 2010

"I'll tell you about it," he said, as he ruthlessly accepted the next-to-the-last twenty-five centime Egyptian cigarette from my proffered case.

From "And they thought we wouldn't fight" by Gibbons, Floyd