pistole
Americannoun
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a former gold coin of Spain, equal to two escudos.
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any of various former gold coins of Europe, as the louis d'or.
noun
Etymology
Origin of pistole
1585–95; < Middle French, back formation from pistolet the coin
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.
In a few days the company set sail for Genoa, and when they had arrived there his superior intimated that they must part, at the same time thrusting a pistole into his hand.
From Legends & Romances of Spain by Spence, Lewis
A pistole was a gold coin used chiefly in France and Spain.
From Memoirs of a Cavalier A Military Journal of the Wars in Germany, and the Wars in England. From the Year 1632 to the Year 1648. by Defoe, Daniel
I.—Well, at any rate you had bed and board, coat and breeches, shoes, and a pistole a month.
From Diderot and the Encyclopædists Volume II. by Morley, John
With new alacrity, the innkeeper thrust the pistole into a leathern pouch he carried at his girdle.
From Under the Rose by Isham, Frederic Stewart
As for the prices paid for the lots—it is surprising to find a foreign coin, the Spanish pistole, as the basic unit of currency.
From Seaport in Virginia George Washington's Alexandria by Moore, Gay Montague
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.
