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Glite Dictionary
💶 Old European money 🪙 Old French coin
ecu

ecu

9.9
A former French gold or silver coin used from the Middle Ages to the 1700s
  • noun
  • /ˈeɪku/
  • Archaic
translation icon : ecu
  • A golden ecu was displayed alongside other ancient coins in the exhibition.

Examples

  • Historians studied the ecu to learn more about France's medieval economy.

  • The collector was thrilled to find a rare ecu from the reign of Louis XIV.

  • The ecu was a valuable coin in medieval France.

  • Many ecus were minted during the reign of King Louis XIV.

  • The collector was thrilled to find a rare ecu from the reign of Louis XIV.

  • A golden ecu was displayed alongside other ancient coins in the exhibition.

  • Historians studied the ecu to learn more about France's medieval economy.

Surface Forms

ecu singular
ecus plural

Etymology

Ecu as the old French coin comes from an old French word escu meaning 'shield', because the coin often showed a shield on it, and that is why this gold or silver coin was called an écu for many years.