drachma

[drak-muh, drahk-]

noun

plural

drachmas, drachmae 

1. a cupronickel coin and monetary unit of modern Greece until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 lepta. dr., drch.

2. the principal silver coin of ancient Greece.

3. a small unit of weight in ancient Greece, approximately equivalent to the U.S. and British apothecaries' dram.

4. any of various modern weights, especially a dram.

drachma

/ ˈdrækmə /

noun

1. the former standard monetary unit of Greece, divided into 100 lepta; replaced by the euro in 2002

2. another name for dram

3. a silver coin of ancient Greece

4. a unit of weight in ancient Greece

Other Word Forms

• drachmal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of drachma¹

1520–30; < Latin < Greek drachmḗ, probably equivalent to drach- base of drássesthai to grasp + -mē noun suffix (hence literally, handful)

Word History and Origins

Origin of drachma¹

C16: from Latin, from Greek drakhmē a handful, from drassesthai to seize

Example Sentences

She found herself surrounded by a knee-high mound of treasure—Roman denarii, silver drachmas, ancient gold jewelry, glittering diamonds and topaz and rubies—enough to fill several lawn bags.

Read more on Literature

Zeno was a merchant who lost all of his goods in a shipwreck and arrived in Athens with a few drachmas in his pockets.

Read more on Salon

But Mark Antony’s stirring rhetoric, and his promise of a Caesar dividend, “75 drachmas”, immediately turn their allegiance.

Read more on The Guardian

Women - who often spoke no Greek - would cover their mouths with their headscarves to muffle their speech, but Mr Fokas's mother was arrested and fined 250 drachmas, a big sum back then.

Read more on BBC

Still, Greece craved Europe’s political and financial stability, having struggled with its erratic drachma currency and with political instability.

Read more on Washington Times