pataca
1
9.8
Money used in Macao that equals 100 avos
- noun
:
pataca
- I have ten patacas in my wallet.
Examples
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She paid the taxi fare in pataca notes.
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The souvenir costs 50 patacas, which is about six US dollars.
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Travelers can exchange their currency for patacas at the airport upon arrival in Macau.
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This meal costs twenty patacas.
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A meal at a decent restaurant in Macao can cost around 200 patacas.
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You need at least 100 patacas to buy a snack from the street vendors.
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The exchange rate for the pataca is favorable compared to the Hong Kong dollar.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Pataca comes from Portuguese pataca, the name for a 'silver coin' used in parts of Asia and probably taken from Malay or other local words. That's why today pataca is the name of Macao's money, just like 'dollar' or 'peso' are names for money in other places.