escudo

[ e-skoo-doh; Portuguese es-koo-doo; Spanish es-koo-thaw ]

noun

, plural es·cu·dos [e-, skoo, -dohz, es-, koo, -d, oo, s, es-, koo, -, th, aws].

1. a coin and monetary unit of Cape Verde, equal to 100 centavos.
2. a former coin and monetary unit of Angola, Guinea-Bissau, and Mozambique.
3. a former paper money and monetary unit of Chile, equal to 100 condors or 1000 pesos, replaced by the new peso in 1975.
4. any of various former gold coins of Spain, Spanish America, and Portugal.
5. a former silver coin of Spain, discontinued in 1868.

escudo

/ ɪʃˈkuðu; ɛˈskuːdəʊ /

noun

1. the standard monetary unit of Cape Verde, divided into 100 centavos
2. the former standard monetary unit of Portugal, divided into 100 centavos; replaced by the euro in 2002
3. a former monetary unit of Chile, divided into 100 centesimos
4. an old Spanish silver coin worth 10 reals

Word History and Origins

Origin of escudo¹

1815–25; < Spanish: shield < Latin scūtum

Word History and Origins

Origin of escudo¹

C19: Spanish, literally: shield, from Latin scūtum

Example Sentences

Before every storm the boat of phantoms appeared, and when he sailed for Escudo and Porto Bello it followed him.

From Project Gutenberg

The largest weight is the tàhel, which is the weight of ten reals of silver—or, as we say, of one escudo.

From Project Gutenberg

The Isabellan silver escudo, adopted in Spain as the unit by the law of June 24, 1864, was thereby demonetized.

From Project Gutenberg

The real of eight received a new name, Escudo de plata, and was to issue at an equivalence of 10 reals of the new silver.

From Project Gutenberg

The nearest relatives received an 'escudo de oro,' or two-dollar piece.

From Project Gutenberg