Hong Kong dollar
1
2.2
- noun
:
dólar de Hong Kong
- Also consider the nominal changes in Hong Kong's exports from 1960 to 1980, measured in Hong Kong dollars, which rose 25-fold from HK$3.9 billion to HK$98.2 billion.
- billion Hong Kong dollars
- worth 5.625 Hong Kong dollars
- equivalent to 6 Hong Kong dollars
Examples
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Rate of exchange was 73 Hong Kong dollars.
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He paid for the meal with 100 Hong Kong dollars in cash.
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You didn't convert from Hong Kong dollars to U.S. dollars.
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- They cost 84 Hong Kong dollars.
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The Hong Kong dollar shall be freely convertible.
Academic text (1990) -
The Hong Kong dollar, as the legal tender in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, shall continue to circulate.
Academic text (1990) -
In the front yard, they shook hands with the two old women, and Michael's father handed them each several Hong Kong dollars.
Fiction book (1991) -
The Exchange Fund of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall be managed and controlled by the government of the Region, primarily for regulating the exchange value of the Hong Kong dollar.
Academic text (1990) -
An incentive, in the form of a book or cash coupon for 25 Hong Kong dollars (1 US$ = 7.8 Hong Kong dollars), was offered to respondents who returned a completed survey form before the end of a 1-month period.
Academic text (2013) -
Indeed, if the Hong Kong government eventually succumbs to the deepening recession by devaluing the Hong Kong dollar and reducing interest rates, Argentina's currency board would probably lose credibility as well.
Academic text (1999)
Surface Forms
Morphology
Hong + Kong + dollar
The meaning 'the official currency of Hong Kong' is transparently derived from combining the place name 'Hong Kong' with 'dollar' (a monetary unit). The PLACE + currency pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows straightforward composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand the MWE.
Etymology
The name Hong Kong dollar combines the place Hong Kong and the word dollar, a name sailors and traders used long ago for silver coins. When Hong Kong grew into a busy trading port it created its own local 'dollar' for prices and trade, so today the Hong Kong dollar is the official money of Hong Kong.