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ECU

ECU

8.8
A money unit used by the European Community before the euro
  • noun
  • /ˈiːˌsiːˈjuː/
  • Archaic
translation icon : unidad de cuenta europea
  • The former monetary system used the ECU as a unit of account before switching to the euro.

Examples

  • Currently limited to 1.3 percent of the Community GNP (a sum of 66 billion ECUs or $85 billion), it is due to rise to 1.4 percent if GNP growth resumes.

    Academic text (1992)

  • In the 1990s, many transactions in Europe involved the ECU instead of the euro.

  • During the transition to the euro, the value of the ECU was a key factor in economic discussions.

Synonyms

ecu
vsECU
  • Archaic
9.9

A former European unit of money used before the euro

is an accounting unit used by the European Community rather than physical money

Surface Forms

ECU singular
ECUs plural

Morphology

ECU = E + C + U

This is an acronym for the European Currency Unit; the letters are not productive morphemes and do not yield meaning by decomposition.

Etymology

ECU as money was the short name for European Currency Unit, a way to count and compare money across Europe before the euro. So an ECU acted like a common 'measuring stick' for value between countries.