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Zimbabwean dollar

Zimbabwean dollar

3.4
The money used in Zimbabwe
  • noun
  • /zɪmˈbɑːbweɪən ˈdɑːlər/
translation icon : dólar zimbabuense
  • I exchanged my US dollars for Zimbabwean dollars.

Examples

  • An apple cost three million Zimbabwean dollars at the green market outside of Mutare.

  • He exchanged his U.S. dollars for Zimbabwean dollars at the airport.

  • The government introduced a new Zimbabwean dollar denomination to combat hyperinflation.

  • The price of bread soared to a million Zimbabwean dollars during the peak of inflation.

  • The Zimbabwean dollar has experienced significant inflation.

  • Before the crunch, a beer at a bar in Harare, the capital, cost 15 billion Zimbabwean dollars.

  • It now costs 234,000 Zimbabwean dollars to spay a dog.

Surface Forms

Morphology

Zimbabwean + dollar

The meaning 'the basic unit of currency in Zimbabwe' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'Zimbabwean' (of or from Zimbabwe) with 'dollar' (a monetary unit). This country-adjective + currency-noun composition is a common, productive pattern across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Zimbabwean dollar is a name for the country's money: Zimbabwean shows it belongs to Zimbabwe and dollar is the unit of money many countries use. So it means 'the basic unit of currency in Zimbabwe'.