paisa
Americannoun
plural
paise-
Also an aluminum coin and monetary unit, one 100th of the rupee of India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
noun
Etymology
Origin of paisa
First recorded in 1880–85; from Hindi, Bengali paisā, probably from Sanskrit pāda “quarter” + aṃśa “quarter part”; see origin at pada ( 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.
Viewers emerging from theatres call it "paisa vasool" - a punchy Hindi phrase for "you got your money's worth".
From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026
Many of the approximately 6,000 family members carry a genetic variant called the paisa mutation that inevitably leads to early-onset dementia.
From Scientific American • May 17, 2023
He played the paisa clubs in Lynwood, in South Gate.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2023
At times, it is less than one paisa for large quantities, he said, suggesting the RBI has been fairly active, including on Wednesday.
From Reuters • Feb. 22, 2023
That women’s wages be increased from one rupee twenty-five paisa a day to three rupees, and men’s from two rupees fifty paisa to four rupees fifty paisa a day.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
