piaster
or pi·as·tre
[pee-as-ter, -ah-ster]
|
noun
a former coin of Turkey, the 100th part of a lira: replaced by the kurus in 1933.
a monetary unit of Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, and Syria, the 100th part 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.
Origin of piaster
1605–15; < French piastre < Italian piastra thin sheet of metal, silver coin (short for piastra d'argento, literally, plate of silver), akin to piastro plaster
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for piastre
Historical Examples of piastre
“A piastre, and a drink of the fire water,” replied the vizier.
The Pacha of Many TalesFrederick Marryat
Indeed, we have never expected a piastre—no, not even a tlaco.
Remember the AlamoAmelia E. Barr
"Thanks, your excellency," the peon said, joyfully pocketing his piastre.
The Red TrackGustave Aimard
These values are given only from 1900, when the value of the piastre was fixed.
The Argentine in the Twentieth CenturyAlbert B. Martinez
My penalty was my penalty, and I paid it to the full, piastre by piastre of my body and my mind.
The Weavers, CompleteGilbert Parker
piastre
piaster
noun
Word Origin for piastre
C17: from French piastre, from Italian piastra d'argento silver plate; related to Italian piastro plaster
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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piaster
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper