écu

¹ American  

[ey-kyoo, ey-ky] / eɪˈkyu, eɪˈkü /

noun

plural

écus

1. the shield carried by a mounted man-at-arms in the Middle Ages.

2. any of various gold and silver coins of France, issued from the 13th through the 18th centuries, bearing the figure of a shield.

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ECU ² American  

[ey-koo, ee-see-yoo] / eɪˈku, ˈiˈsiˈyu /

noun

1. a former money of account of the European Common Market that was used in international finance until the euro was adopted and was based on the combined prorated values of the currencies of member nations.

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E.C.U. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. English Church Union.

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écu ¹ British  

/ eɪˈkjuː, eky /

noun

1. any of various former French gold or silver coins

2. a small shield

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ECU ² British  

/ ˈiːˈsiːˈjuː, ˈeɪkjuː /

acronym

1. European Currency Unit: a former unit of currency based on the composite value of several different currencies in the European Union and functioning as both the reserve asset and the accounting unit of the European Monetary System; replaced by the euro in 1999

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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

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

“Our guys are swinging and missing it by, like, three feet,” ECU coach Cliff Godwin said.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Calcium supplements are often recommended to prevent or manage osteoporosis," said ECU PhD student Ms. Negar Ghasemifard.

From Science Daily

According to ECU Senior Research Fellow Dr. Marc Sim, even after adjusting for supplement use, diet, lifestyle factors, and genetic risk, the outcomes did not change.

From Science Daily

Although the findings suggest calcium does not increase the risk of dementia in older women, particularly those over 80, further studies are still needed, said Professor Simon Laws, Director of ECU's Centre for Precision Health.

From Science Daily