piastre
English
Etymology
From French piastre, from Italian piastra (“plate of wood or metal; coin”), probably from Latin emplastra.
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -æstə(ɹ)
Noun
piastre (plural piastres)
- (now historical) A Spanish or Spanish-American coin and unit of currency, originally worth eight real.
- 1630, John Smith, True Travels, Kupperman, published 1988, page 39:
- The Silkes, Velvets, Cloth of gold, and Tissue, Pyasters, Chicqueenes and Sultanies, which is gold and silver, they unloaded in foure and twentie houres, was wonderfull [...].
- (historical) A form of currency formerly used in the French-speaking parts of Canada.
- (historical) A form of currency formerly used in French Indochina.
- (historical) A form of currency originally used in the Ottoman Empire.
- (historical) A form of currency formerly used in Cyprus.
- A form of currency currently used as a subunit in the Middle Eastern and East African countries of Egypt, Jordan (partly including Palestine), Lebanon, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria.
- (Louisiana) A dollar.
Translations
historical: Spanish or Spanish-American coin
See also
French
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pjastʁ/
- (Quebec) IPA(key): /pjastʁ/, /pjas/
- (Louisiana) IPA(key): /pjas/
Audio (CAN) (file)
Noun
piastre f (plural piastres)
- (historical) piastre (one of several historical units of currency)
- (Quebec, Louisiana, Missouri, New England, now colloquial, formerly also official) Canadian or American dollar
- Synonyms: dollar, piasse (informal)
- Neuf, ça vaut au moins mille piastres, je l’ai eu pour la moitié. ― It's worth at least a thousand bucks new; I got it for half that.
- 1803, Traité d'achat de la Louisiane (Louisiana Purchase Treaty):
- 3. La piastre ayant cours de monnaie dans les États-Unis, il est convenu que dans les comptes auxquels la présente convention donnera lieu, le rapport de ladite monnaie, avec le franc, sera invariablement fixé à cinq francs 3.333 / 10.000, ou cinq livres huit sols tournois.
- 3. It is agreed that the Dollar of the United States Specified in the present Convention shall be fixed at five francs 3333/100000 or five livres eight Sous tournois.
- 1867, Loi constitutionnelle de 1867 (Constitution Act, 1867):
- Les qualifications d’un sénateur seront comme suit : [...] 4. Ses propriétés mobilières et immobilières devront valoir, somme toute, quatre mille piastres, en sus de toutes ses dettes et obligations.
- The Qualifications of a Senator shall be as follows: [...] 4. His Real and Personal Property shall be together worth Four thousand Dollars over and above his Debts and Liabilities.
- 2009, Robert Maltais, Le Curé du Mile End, page 195:
- Non, non, c’est juste une joke. Garde-lé, ton vingt piastres.
- No, no, I was just joking. Keep it, your twenty bucks.
Further reading
- “piastre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Italian
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