écu
noun
the shield carried by a mounted man-at-arms in the Middle Ages.
écu
1 American
[ey-kyoo, ey-ky]
/ eɪˈkju, eɪˈkü /
noun
-
écus
plural
-
the shield carried by a mounted man-at-arms in the Middle Ages.
-
any of various gold and silver coins of France, issued from the 13th through the 18th centuries, bearing the figure of a shield.
ECU
2
American
[ey-koo, ee-see-yoo]
/ eɪˈku, ˈiˈsiˈju /
noun
E.C.U.
3
American
abbreviation
écu
1
British
/ eɪˈkjuː, eky /
noun
-
any of various former French gold or silver coins
-
a small shield
ECU
2
British
/ ˈiːˈsiːˈjuː, ˈeɪkjuː /
acronym
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of écu1
1695–1705; < French; Old French escu < Latin scūtum shield
Origin of ECU2
E(uropean) C(urrency) U(nit), perhaps with play on écu ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Charles would not or could not contribute a single écu d'or, and Joan had to solicit help and funds from the towns.
From Joan of Arc by Ronald Sutherland Gower
The days when the diligences of Europe drew up before an old-time inn, with the sign of a pewter plate, an écu d'or, a holly branch, or a prancing white horse, have long since disappeared.
From The Automobilist Abroad by M. F. (Milburg Francisco) Mansfield
In which sport she was so taken up with her hands, that she forgot to cheat, and Denys won "écu au soleil" of her.
From The Cloister and the Hearth A Tale of the Middle Ages by Charles Reade
Then taking a little leathern purse from his breast, he slipped an écu into the mountaineer's hand.
From A Night on the Borders of the Black Forest by Amelia Ann Blanford Edwards
The marcandiers had to pay an écu; they were tramps clothed in a tolerably good doublet, who passed themselves off as merchants ruined by war, by fire, or by having been robbed on the highway.
From Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period by P. L. Jacob
The ECU said leaving the coverage on iPlayer until the Monday morning was also a "serious mistake" and breached guidelines.
From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026
When it comes to deciding the right moment to shift from warming up to working out, ECU Professor of Biomechanics Tony Blazevich notes that there is no universal guideline.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 2025
“Our guys are swinging and missing it by, like, three feet,” ECU coach Cliff Godwin said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
Scottish Borders Council says that all parties have their opportunity to comment directly on applications which either go before them, if below 50MW, or to the ECU.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2024
The President of the Council shall inform the European Parliament of the adoption, adjustment or abandonment of the ECU central rates.
From The Treaty of the European Union, Maastricht Treaty, 7th February, 1992 by European Union
As a holder of two degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and as an assistant professor at E.C.U.,
From Time Magazine Archive
It would be ridiculous for an outsider, like myself, to discuss the interior working of the E.C.U., so I avail myself of the testimony which has reached me from within.
From Prime Ministers and Some Others A Book of Reminiscences by George William Erskine Russell
One of their wives is discussing the E.C.U. and the S.S.C. with a hitherto silent curate, and the other is jabbering botany to a red-faced warrior.
From Facts About Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines by Henry Vizetelly
E.C.U., for "The Esoteric Christian Union," founded by E.M. in 1891.
From The Story of Anna Kingsford and Edward Maitland and of the new Gospel of Interpretation by Edward Maitland
Eleven years later Dr. Pusey wrote: "As to his being President of the E.C.U., he is the sense and moderation of it."
From Prime Ministers and Some Others A Book of Reminiscences by George William Erskine Russell
It was at an expense of two hundred thousand écus that the welcoming fête was accomplished.
From Royal Palaces and Parks of France by Blanche McManus
According to her marriage settlement the Queen Henrietta possessed a dowry of eight hundred thousand crowns, equivalent to eight hundred thousand écus de trois livres, French currency.
From The Makers of Canada: Champlain by N.-E. (Narcisse-Eutrope) Dionne
She said her brother had her horses and her goods; she said she believed the latter amounted to some twelve thousand écus.
From Joan of Arc by Ronald Sutherland Gower
They gave themselves no rest after their long and arduous journey, but started straight back viâ the Rhine, arriving in Rotterdam on 8th September with only twenty écus remaining, having been “horribly cheated.”
From The Life and Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Volume I (of 2) by Florence A. Thomas Marshall
For five years I labored, until I had amassed sufficient to give me a small estate of about fifty écus.
From Orrain A Romance by S. Levett-Yeats
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
