sapèque

French

Etymology

From Malay sa (“one”) + paku (“thread of one hundred pichi coins”). Attested as sapocou and sapacou in the 18th century, then as sapeck in the 19th century. Cognate with Portuguese sapeca.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sa.pɛk/

Noun

sapèque f (plural sapèques)

1. (numismatics) cash (historical coin and monetary unit used in Indochina and China)

References

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