ducat

[ duhk-uht ]
See synonyms for ducat on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of various gold coins formerly issued in various parts of Europe, especially that first issued in Venice in 1284.: Compare sequin (def. 2).

  2. any of various silver coins formerly issued in various parts of Europe.

  1. Slang. a ticket to a public performance.

  2. ducats, Slang. money; cash.

Origin of ducat

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Old Italian ducato, from Medieval Latin ducātus “duchy,” probably so called from the Latin words dux or ducātus, which formed part of the legends of such coins; cf. duchy

Words Nearby ducat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ducat in a sentence

  • A ducat was a gold piece of the size of an old French louis, though less thick.

    Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
  • If every ducat in six thousand ducats Were in six parts, and every part a ducat, I would not draw them; I would have my bond.

  • The result of the quarrel was, that I was obliged to give them twelve drachms of their money, equivalent to half a ducat.

  • By dint of inquiry, and for half a ducat, I was enabled to purchase the half of a goatskin full, of which I made him a present.

  • Thirty-six aspers are worth a Venetian ducat; but, of the five thousand aspers, the treasurer deducted ten per cent.

British Dictionary definitions for ducat

ducat

/ (ˈdʌkət) /


noun
  1. any of various former European gold or silver coins, esp those used in Italy or the Netherlands

  2. (often plural) any coin or money

Origin of ducat

1
C14: from Old French, from Old Italian ducato coin stamped with the doge's image, from duca doge, from Latin dux leader

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