drachma

American  

[drak-muh, drahk-] / ˈdræk mə, ˈdrɑk- /

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.

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drachma British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• drachmal adjective

Etymology

Origin of drachma

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

Explanation

In Greece, the drachma was once the national currency. The Greek drachma was replaced by the euro in 2002. The drachma has a long history in Greece, going all the way back to 800 BC. The word derives from a Greek root meaning "to grasp" or "a handful," and the ancient drachma was originally a handful or fistfull of metal sticks used to buy and trade. The modern version of this currency was a variety of metal coins in various denominations. The drachma was retired officially in 2002 and replaced with the euro.

Example Sentences

The word evolved to drachma, the name of Greece’s currency before the euro.

From Economist • Dec. 13, 2017

The Greeks were mining for silver to make their beautiful drachma coins.

From Slate • Aug. 21, 2015

"But there are reasons to think that reintroduction of the drachma and devaluation would do less for Greece than devaluation did for Argentina. Greece is less open, it exports less," he said.

From Reuters • Jul. 22, 2015

You can’t devalue the drachma to the point that gasoline production, or olive oil and cheese production, would generate sufficient earnings for Greek workers to pay for cars and computers.

From The New Yorker • Jul. 13, 2015

Chiron fished a golden drachma out of his pouch, tossed it through the mist, and muttered, “O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show us the threat.”

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan