piaster

or pi·as·tre

[ pee-as-ter, -ah-ster ]

/ piˈæs tər, -ˈɑ stər /

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noun

a former coin of Turkey, one 100th of a lira: replaced by the kurus in 1933.

a monetary unit of Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, and Syria, one 100th of a pound.

a former monetary unit of South Vietnam: replaced by the dong in 1976.

the former peso or dollar of Spain and Spanish America.

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Origin of piaster

First recorded in 1605–15; from French piastre, from Italian piastra “thin sheet of metal, silver coin” (short for piastra d'argento, literally, “plate of silver”), akin to piastro plaster

Words nearby piaster

piano tuner, piano wire, Piarist, pias., piassava, piaster, piastre, Piat, Piatigorsky, Piatra Neamt, Piauí

How to use piaster in a sentence

Then the two knights had to be removed to a sick-room and infirmary, for they needed a doctor and piaster to cure their wounds.
Four Arthurian Romances|Chretien DeTroyes
Hundreds of accounts and bills have been received, audited and paid, and scarcely any two correspond in piaster equivalents.
The Red Cross in Peace and War|Clara Barton
We got down from our horse, went around carelessly, and slipped a cherek (a five piaster piece) into his fingers.
The Red Cross in Peace and War|Clara Barton
After thirty-three years of residence, I am still trying to get some idea of what a piaster is.
The Red Cross in Peace and War|Clara Barton

All my trouble, all the hard work, and not a piaster, not a piaster!
The Carpet from Bagdad|Harold MacGrath