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Glite Dictionary
hemidrachm

hemidrachm

9.9
A small ancient Greek silver coin worth half a drachm or three obols
  • noun
  • /ˌhɛmɪˈdrækm/
: hemidráchma
  • A hemidrachm was worth three obols in classical Athens.

Examples

  • The museum displayed an ancient hemidrachm among its impressive collection of Greek coins.

  • He discovered a silver hemidrachm while excavating the ancient city.

  • The ancient Greeks used a hemidrachm as a form of currency.

  • I found a rare hemidrachm from the 4th century BC.

  • A hemidrachm was worth three obols in classical Athens.

  • The museum displayed an ancient hemidrachm among its impressive collection of Greek coins.

  • The ancient Greeks used a hemidrachm as a form of currency.

Surface Forms

hemidrachm singular
hemidrachms plural

Morphology

hemidrachm = drachm (transparent) = hemi + drachm

Built directly as 'hemi-' (half) + 'drachm' meaning literally half a drachm, so the structure and meaning are directly recoverable.

Etymology

Hemidrachm comes from the Greek parts hemi- 'half' (as in hemisphere) and drachm 'old Greek coin'. So, a hemidrachm literally means 'half a drachm' and was a small silver coin worth three obols.