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Bissau-Guinean franc

Bissau-Guinean franc

9.8
Money used in Guinea-Bissau before it was replaced in 1997
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : franco bissau-guineano
  • The Bissau-Guinean franc was replaced by the West African CFA franc in 1997.

Examples

  • Travelers had to exchange their Bissau-Guinean francs after the currency change.

  • I exchanged my Bissau-Guinean francs for euros at the bank.

  • Historical prices are often given in Bissau-Guinean francs in documents from the 1970s.

  • The Bissau-Guinean franc was replaced by the West African CFA franc in 1997.

  • Historical prices are often given in Bissau-Guinean francs in documents from the 1970s.

  • The Bissau-Guinean franc was replaced by the West African CFA franc in 1997.

  • Travelers had to exchange their Bissau-Guinean francs after the currency change.

Surface Forms

Morphology

Bissau-Guinean + franc

The phrase is fully compositional: 'Bissau-Guinean' denotes origin or nationality (from Guinea-Bissau) and 'franc' is a currency unit, so the denotation 'the franc of Guinea-Bissau' can be directly derived. This nationality-adjective + currency pattern is common cross-linguistically, so learners who know both constituents should understand the meaning.

Etymology

Bissau-Guinean franc names the money once used in Guinea-Bissau. The first part, Bissau-Guinean, ties it to the country and the second part, franc, is the name for the money many countries used after contact with France, so the phrase means 'the former basic unit of currency in Guinea-Bissau'.