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Glite Dictionary
CFA franc

CFA franc

7.0
Money that some African countries use and the French government backs
  • noun
translation icon : franco CFA
  • The price of rice increased significantly after the devaluation of the CFA franc last year.
  • 50 CFA francs

Examples

  • Since taking office a little over two years ago, he has been beset with problems, including the devaluation of the CFA franc, striking students, and Tuareg in the north demanding independence.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Since the old rate of 50 CFA francs to 1 French franc was artificially maintained by French budget transfers, the new rate of 100 CFA francs will steeply increase import prices.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Since the old rate of 50 CFA francs to 1 French franc was artificially maintained by French budget transfers, the new rate of 100 CFA francs will steeply increase import prices.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Many businesses in West Africa rely on the CFA franc for transactions with suppliers from France.

  • The CFA franc is used by several countries in Africa as a stable currency linked to the euro.

Surface Forms

CFA franc singular
CFA francs plural

Morphology

CFA + franc

The headword contains a clear noun 'franc' which signals a currency, so part of the meaning is directly interpretable. However 'CFA' is an acronym/proper label referring to a specific African currency union and is not compositionally meaningful to learners without background knowledge, so the overall expression is only partially predictable.

Etymology

The name CFA franc comes from money France set up after World War II for some African countries. The letters CFA first stood for the French phrase 'Colonies françaises d'Afrique' and the word franc was the name for the money. Because France supported the currency, the CFA franc is still used today by several African countries.