peso

American  

[pey-soh, pe-saw] / ˈpeɪ soʊ, ˈpɛ sɔ /

noun

plural

pesos

1. a coin and monetary unit of Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Mexico, and the Philippines, equal to 100 centavos.

2. a coin and monetary unit of Uruguay, equal to 100 centesimos.

3. a former monetary unit of Argentina, equal to 100 centavos: replaced by the austral in 1985.

4. a former silver coin of Spain and Spanish America, equal to eight reals; dollar; piece of eight; piaster.

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peso British  

/ ˈpeso, ˈpeɪsəʊ /

noun

1. the standard monetary unit, comprising 100 centavos, of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the Philippines; formerly also of Guinea-Bissau, where it was replaced by the CFA franc

2. the standard monetary unit of Uruguay, divided into 100 centesimos

3. another name for piece of eight

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Etymology

Origin of peso

< Spanish: literally, weight < Latin pēnsum something weighed, noun use of neuter of pēnsus, past participle of pendere to weigh

Example Sentences

She served in that position for two years, and the alleged misuse of millions of pesos in public funds is linked to that time.

From BBC

On Tuesday, the price jumped again by around 16 percent, with prices up to 134.30 pesos per litre at some pumps, the highest in the country's history.

From Barron's

The WSJ Dollar Index rose Tuesday, while emerging-market currencies such as the Chilean peso, Brazilian real and Hungarian forint slumped relative to the U.S. dollar.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Oil sensitive currencies such as the rupee, Philippine peso and won are more vulnerable,” the senior currency analyst says.

From The Wall Street Journal

He shrank ministries, lifted price controls and widened the peso’s trading bands, cooling triple-digit inflation and stabilizing markets.

From The Wall Street Journal