piastre

English

Alternative forms

• piaster (US)
• pyaster [17th c.]

Etymology

From French piastre, from Italian piastra (“plate of wood or metal; coin”), probably from Latin emplastra.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /piˈæstɚ/, /piˈɑstɚ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /piˈæstə/, /piˈɑːstə/
• Rhymes: -æstə(ɹ), -ɑːstə(ɹ)

Noun

piastre (plural piastres)

1. (now historical) A Spanish or Spanish-American coin and unit of currency, originally worth eight real.
   • 1630, John Smith, True Travels, Kupperman, published 1988, page 39:

     The Silkes, Velvets, Cloth of gold, and Tissue, Pyasters, Chicqueenes and Sultanies, which is gold and silver, they unloaded in foure and twentie houres, was wonderfull [...].

2. (historical) A form of currency formerly used in the French-speaking parts of Canada.
3. (historical) A form of currency formerly used in French Indochina.
4. (historical) A form of currency originally used in the Ottoman Empire.
5. (historical) A form of currency formerly used in Cyprus.
6. A form of currency currently used as a subunit in the Middle Eastern and East African countries of Egypt, Jordan (partly including Palestine), Lebanon, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria.
7. (Louisiana) A dollar.

Translations

historical: Spanish or Spanish-American coin

• Bulgarian: пиастър m (piastǎr)
• French: piastre (fr) f
• German: Piaster (de) m
• Irish: piastar m
• Japanese: ピアストル
• Russian: пиа́стр (ru) m (piástr)
• Spanish: piastra (es) f

Ottoman or Middle Eastern currency

• Arabic: قِرْش (ar) m (qirš)

  Egyptian Arabic: قرش m (ʔerš)

• Czech: piastr m
• French: piastre (fr) f
• German: Piaster (de) m
• Irish: piastar m
• Russian: пиа́стр (ru) m (piástr)
• Spanish: piastra (es) f
• Swedish: piaster (sv) c
• Turkish: kuruş (tr)

See also

• ghurush

Anagrams

• tapiser, parties, rapiest, pirates, eartips, pastier, praties, piaster, traipse, teparis, Patries, @ parties, airstep, Prestia, Pirates, raspite

French

Alternative forms

• piasse (North America, colloquial)

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian piastra. Doublet of plâtre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pjastʁ/
• (Quebec) IPA^(key): /pjastʁ/, /pjas/
• (Louisiana) IPA^(key): /pjas/

• Audio (Canada):

  (file)

Noun

piastre f (plural piastres)

1. (historical) piastre (one of several historical units of currency)
2. (North America, now colloquial, formerly also official) Canadian or American dollar

   Synonyms: dollar, piasse (informal)

   Neuf, ça vaut au moins mille piastres, je l’ai eu pour la moitié. ― It's worth at least a thousand bucks new; I got it for half that.

   • 1803, Traité d'achat de la Louisiane (Louisiana Purchase Treaty)‎^[1]:

     3. La piastre ayant cours de monnaie dans les États-Unis, il est convenu que dans les comptes auxquels la présente convention donnera lieu, le rapport de ladite monnaie, avec le franc, sera invariablement fixé à cinq francs 3.333 / 10.000, ou cinq livres huit sols tournois.

     3. It is agreed that the Dollar of the United States Specified in the present Convention shall be fixed at five francs 3333/100000 or five livres eight Sous tournois.

   • 1867, Loi constitutionnelle de 1867 (Constitution Act, 1867)‎^[2]:

     Les qualifications d’un sénateur seront comme suit : [...] 4. Ses propriétés mobilières et immobilières devront valoir, somme toute, quatre mille piastres, en sus de toutes ses dettes et obligations.

     The Qualifications of a Senator shall be as follows: [...] 4. His Real and Personal Property shall be together worth Four thousand Dollars over and above his Debts and Liabilities.

   • 2009, Robert Maltais, Le Curé du Mile End, page 195:

     Non, non, c’est juste une joke. Garde-lé, ton vingt piastres.

     No, no, I was just joking. Keep it, your twenty bucks.

Further reading

• “piastre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Noun

piastre f

1. plural of piastra

Anagrams

• Pratesi, apriste, arpiste, espatri, estirpa, paresti, pesarti, pratesi, prestai, rapiste, ripesta, saperti, sparite, sperati, spietra, spirate, spretai, sterpai, stipare, stiperà