chervonets

or tcher·vo·netz

[ cher-voh-nits, -nets; Russian chyir-vaw-nyits ]

noun,plural cher·von·tsi [cher-vohnt-see; Russian chyir-vawn-tsi]. /tʃərˈvoʊnt si; Russian tʃyɪrˈvɔn tsɪ/.
  1. a former gold coin and monetary unit of the U.S.S.R., equal to ten rubles.

Origin of chervonets

1
First recorded in 1920–25; from Russian chervónets, Old Russian chervon(n)yi “a similar gold coin,” from Polish czerwony “a gold coin”, literally, “red” (apparently because gold of a high purity was thought to have a reddish cast), cognate with Czech červený, Serbo-Croatian cr̀ven, cr̀(v)ljen, Bulgarian chervén, from unattested Slavic čṛvljen, originally past participle of unattested čṛviti “to dye red,” derivative of unattested čṛvĭ “worm,” kermes (Serbo-Croatian cr̂v, Polish czerw, Russian chervʾ ), a by-form of unattested čṛmĭ; compare Old Church Slavonic chrĭmĭnŭ “red”; see crimson, vermilion

Words Nearby chervonets

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for chervonets

chervonets

/ (tʃəˈvɔːnɛts) /


noun
  1. (formerly) a Soviet monetary unit and gold coin worth ten roubles

Origin of chervonets

1
from Old Russian červonyi, from Old Polish czerwony golden, purple

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012