écu
English
Etymology
Borrowed from French écu. Doublet of scutum, escudo, scudo, and scute.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /eɪˈkuː/
- Rhymes: -uː
Noun
écu (plural écus)
- (historical) A silver coin formerly used in France, with varying values.
- 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 260:
- The court joined in the enthusiasm, and following frequent stagings at Versailles, the king awarded de Belloy a thousand écus and a golden medallion.
Related terms
Translations
obsolete French unit of currency
Anagrams
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French escut, inherited from Latin scūtum, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to cover, protect”) or Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to cut, split”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /e.ky/
Audio: (file) - Homophone: écus
Noun
écu m (plural écus)
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
- → English: écu
- → Turkish: ekü
Further reading
- “écu”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.