peseta

American  

[puh-sey-tuh, pe-se-tah] / pəˈseɪ tə, pɛˈsɛ tɑ /

noun

plural

pesetas

1. a bronze coin and monetary unit of Spain and Andorra until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 centimos. P., Pta.

2. a former silver coin of Spain and Spanish America, equal to two reals; pistareen.

3. a former monetary unit of Equatorial Guinea: replaced by the ekuele in 1973.

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peseta British  

/ peˈseta, pəˈseɪtə /

noun

1. the former standard monetary unit of Spain and Andorra, divided into 100 céntimos; replaced by the euro in 2002

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Etymology

Origin of peseta

1805–15; < Spanish, diminutive of pesa a weight. See peso

Example Sentences

The Soviet Union, more cannily, traded arms, planes, and tanks for Spain’s sizable gold reserves, the transfer of which crashed the value of the peseta.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 18, 2016

Once the peseta disappeared, this escape valve was gone and the economy began losing competitiveness in its main European markets.

From New York Times • Jul. 1, 2010

On top of this, Franco's government cranked out 30% more paper money to pay its bills, knocking down the value of the peseta to a free-market low of 56 to $1.

From Time Magazine Archive

In Spain, for instance, the peseta fell to a historic low against the dollar last week, and the new Socialist government is expected to let it continue falling.

From Time Magazine Archive

In another half-hour he brought us to a group of cabins situated near the sea; he pointed to one of these, and having received a peseta, bade us farewell.

From The Bible in Spain - Vol. 2 [of 2] by Borrow, George Henry