piastre

British  

/ pɪˈæstə /

noun

1. (formerly) the standard monetary unit of South Vietnam, divided into 100 cents

2. a fractional monetary unit of Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria worth one hundredth of a pound; formerly also used in the Sudan

3. another name for kuruş

4. a rare word for piece of eight

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Etymology

Origin of piastre

C17: from French piastre, from Italian piastra d'argento silver plate; related to Italian piastro _plaster

Example Sentences

If Hosni Mubarak has passed his alleged $70bn through British banks, the Egyptians won't see a piastre of it.

From The Guardian • Feb. 7, 2011

Today the improved flow has so increased the supply of goods coming into Saigon that it has driven down the black-market rate of the piastre from 173 to 145 to the dollar.

From Time Magazine Archive

The ten piastre piece is the same as our half-dollar.

From In Pastures New by Ade, George

"Do not give him one piastre: he is lying," muttered the beggar.

From Lord John in New York by Williamson, A. M. (Alice Muriel)

My landlord invariably gives me too little change for a piastre, and when I tell him of it, he coolly fetches the remainder.

From Letters of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy from Italy and Switzerland by Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix