metical

1 9.8

The money used in Mozambique, equal to 100 centavos

noun

: metical

A loaf of bread costs 50 metical at the local bakery.

Examples

In April 1987, the government increased the charge for a medical examination more than tenfold, from 7.5 to 100 metical, and also began charging for prescription medicine.

Academic text (1992)
He exchanged his dollars for metical to pay for his hotel stay.
After earning her salary, she had 2,000 metical left in her account.

Surface Forms

metical singular

meticais plural

Etymology

Metical comes from the Arabic word mithqāl, which means 'small weight' and was used for gold. So the name remembers that money was once measured by weight of metal, and that is why metical is the name of Mozambique's basic money unit.