centavo

American  

[sen-tah-voh, sen-tah-vaw] / sɛnˈtɑ voʊ, sɛnˈtɑ vɔ /

noun

plural

centavos

1. one 100th of the monetary units of various nations, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Peru, and the Philippines.

---

centavo British  

/ sɛnˈtɑːvəʊ /

noun

1. a monetary unit of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, and the Philippines. It is worth one hundredth of their respective standard units

2. a former monetary unit of Ecuador, El Salvador, and Portugal, worth one hundredth of their former standard units

---

Etymology

Origin of centavo

First recorded in 1880–85; from Spanish: “one 100th part,” equivalent to cent- “100” ( see cent) + -avo, from Latin -āvum as in octāvum “eighth”; see octavo

Explanation

One centavo, 1/100th of certain currencies, probably won't buy you very much at all, no matter whether it's in quetzales, pesos, bolivianos, or córdobas. Much like the cent is 1/100th of a dollar or Euro, a centavo is 1/100th of the basic currency in many countries, including but not limited to Argentina, the Philippines, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Columbia, and Brazil. It comes from a Spanish and Portuguese word meaning "one-hundredth," just as cent comes from the Latin word for "hundred." Most countries that use a centavo either have or used to have a lot of Spanish or Portuguese speakers in them.

Example Sentences

Soni afirmó que un precio “no se considera competitivo incluso si está solo un centavo por encima de lo que ofrecen los minoristas de renombre fuera de Amazon”.

From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2023

"The government is not spending a single centavo on these ads and TV stations are carrying them for free," Andanar told reporters at an event in a Manila hotel.

From Reuters • Aug. 30, 2016

Rodríguez-Fambona, el dueño de CR Aviation en el pequeño aeropuerto, nunca cobró un centavo a su amigo por guardar el avión en su hangar.

From Washington Times • Feb. 28, 2015

"I did not steal a single centavo from the government," said during his three hours of giving evidence.

From BBC • May 22, 2012

It had not been easy for him to arrive at this decision, to convince his family, and to make the long trip to the capital alone and without a centavo to speak with the patron.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende