Currency Meaning
/ˈkʌɹ.ən.si/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounMoney or other items used to facilitate transactions.
nounPaper money.
Sentence Examples
The exchange rates for foreign currency change daily.
In 1971 the United Kingdom changed its currency to the decimal system.
Send €20 or the equivalent in your own currency.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The euro is the official ____ used in many European countries.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The exchange rates for foreign ____ change daily.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- Proto-Indo-European *-éti Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥séti Proto-Italic *korzō Latin currō Latin currēns Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Medieval Latin currentiabor. English currency Borrowed from Medieval Latin currentia, from Latin currēns, from currō. By surface analysis, current + -cy.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Money managers who play down currencies tend to argue that outguessing foreign exchange markets in the short term is perilous, and that, over the long haul, shifts in currency values tend to offset one another."
— 1986 May 25, William G. McBride, “INVESTING; CHASING RETURNS IN DIFFERENT CURRENCIES”, in The New York Times:
"Spangler went through his pockets, coming out with a handful of small coins, one piece of currency and a hard-boiled egg."
— 1943, William Saroyan, chapter 3, in The Human Comedy:
"Two years on, and while the Sultan of Slowjamastan has instigated more than a few bizarre laws (he’s outlawed the wearing of Crocs, for example), the Republic also has all the trappings of a fledgling nation-state. It issues its own passports, flies its own flag, prints its own currency (“the duble”), and has a national anthem that’s played on state occasions."
— 2023 June 8, Richard Collett, “He ran out of countries to visit, so he created his own”, in CNN:
"Fear of punishment has no currency with me as long as I remain convinced of the larger value of what I have done."
— 1983 April 9, Kenneth Hale Wehmann, “Conscientious Resistance”, in Gay Community News, page 5:
"He […] takes greatness of kingdoms according to their bulk and currency, and not after intrinsic value."
— a. 1627 (date written), Francis [Bacon], “Considerations Touching a Warre with Spaine. […]”, in William Rawley, editor, Certaine Miscellany Works of the Right Honourable Francis Lo. Verulam, Viscount S. Alban. […], London: […] I. Hauiland for Humphrey Robinson, […], published 1629, →OCLC:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The euro is the official ____ used in many European countries.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The exchange rates for foreign ____ change daily.