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Irish monetary unit

Irish monetary unit

7.8
Old currency used in Ireland before the euro
  • noun
  • Literature
translation icon : punto irlandés
  • Before 2002, the Irish monetary unit was the punt.

Examples

  • Prices were displayed in both euros and the old Irish monetary unit during the transition period.

  • The Irish monetary unit was replaced by the euro.

  • He exchanged his dollars for the Irish monetary unit at the currency office.

  • Many people still remember the Irish monetary unit fondly.

  • Before 2002, the Irish monetary unit was the punt, which many people used daily.

  • He exchanged his dollars for the Irish monetary unit at the currency office before traveling to Ireland.

  • During the transition to the euro, prices were displayed in both euros and the old Irish monetary unit.

Synonyms

Irish pound
vsIrish monetary unit
  • Literature
1 6.4

Former money used in Ireland before the euro

has identical meaning but is a more general descriptive label
punt
vsIrish monetary unit
  • Literature
1 9.8

Old Irish money worth 100 pence, replaced by the euro in 2002

has identical meaning but reads as the fuller descriptive phrase
Irish punt
vsIrish monetary unit
  • Literature
8.7

A unit of money used in Ireland before the euro

has identical meaning but is the neutral descriptive term

Surface Forms

Morphology

Irish + monetary + unit

The meaning 'a former unit of currency used in Ireland' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'Irish' (pertaining to Ireland) with 'monetary' (relating to money) and 'unit' (a defined measure). This straightforward compositional noun phrase follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Irish monetary unit puts together Irish (from Ireland), monetary ('about money') and unit ('one standard amount'). It was the common name for the standard money used in Ireland, for example the old 'punt', so it means the money unit used in Ireland before the euro.