piece of eight
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of piece of eight
First recorded in 1600–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was a Spanish piece of eight," said Historian Truman, "and it was thrown across the Rappahannock .
From Time Magazine Archive
The coin most commonly current was the Spanish piece of eight, but the system of weights and measures was the English system, and reckoning was by pounds, shillings, and pence.
From The History of Currency, 1252 to 1896 by Shaw, William Arthur
The name was extended in the form "dollar" to other coins of similar size, notably the old Spanish "piece of eight."
From Anson's Voyage Round the World The Text Reduced by Household, H. W.
The piece of eight was divided into eight silver reals.
From Anson's Voyage Round the World The Text Reduced by Household, H. W.
But if we break up the piece of eight links, these eight will join together the remaining eight pieces at a cost of 2s.
From Amusements in Mathematics by Dudeney, Henry Ernest
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
