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”; cent

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

Kerosene, the decline of which is perhaps beginning, costs about 0.75 centime per kilo.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 1082, September 26, 1896 by Various