lwei
1
9.9
A former unit of money from Angola equal to one hundredth of a kwanza used until 1990
- noun
- Archaic
:
lwei
- Until 1990, one lwei was worth one hundredth of a kwanza in Angola.
Examples
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Many collectors seek Angolan coins featuring the lwei denomination.
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The old coins were denominated in lwei before the currency reform.
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The price of the item was 500 lwei.
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I found some old lweis in my grandmother's drawer.
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The price of the book was 50 lwei, making it affordable for many readers.
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Before 1990, items in Angola were often priced in lwei, which was a subunit of the kwanza.
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During our visit to Angola, we exchanged our money for lwei to better understand the local economy.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Lwei was the name for a small Angolan coin and probably comes from local languages mixed with Portuguese. A helpful way to remember it is to think of it like a cent or centavo — it was the 'hundredth' part of a kwanza.