piece of eight
3
9.9
- noun
- /ˈpiːs əv eɪt/
- Archaic
:
pieza de a ocho
- The ransom for you two is 20,000 pieces of eight.
- nine pieces of eight
Examples
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Silver coins—the widely used Spanish pieces of eight—were also highly valued.
Academic text (2005) -
The silver 8 reales coin—the famous "piece of eight"—of Argentina from 1836.
Academic text (1995) -
For a bag of guineas or a piece of eight
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I bid 20,000 pieces of eight.
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Captain Hook hid all his "pieces of eight" in a treasure chest.
Academic text (1998) -
If each piece of eight is worth $5,000, then how much money is the treasure worth?
Academic text (1998) -
Samuel subsequently sold one of these prizes for 1,400 pieces of eight to another company of pirates.
Academic text (2005) -
Took a twelve-gun brigantine and 10,000 pieces of eight.
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They established a barter economy based on supplying ships with foodstuffs in exchange for beads, brass, copper, pieces of eight, and firearms.
Academic text (2005) -
Many pirates sought treasure, hoping to find chests filled with pieces of eight.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an old Spanish silver coin worth eight reales' cannot be reliably derived from 'piece' (a portion) + 'of' + 'eight' (the number); a B1 learner would more likely parse it literally or be unsure what 'eight' modifies. This is a historical, denomination-specific sense that requires cultural or lexical knowledge rather than straightforward compositional rules, so it is not transparent.
Etymology
Piece of eight was the name for a Spanish silver coin that could be cut into eight small pieces, so the words piece and eight describe how people used the coin. Because sailors and traders used these coins everywhere, the name stuck and today it brings to mind an 'old pirate coin' or treasure.