drachma

[ drak-muh, drahk- ]

noun

, plural drach·mas, drach·mae [drak, -mee, drahk, -].

1. a cupronickel coin and monetary unit of modern Greece until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 lepta. : dr., drch.
2. the principal silver coin of ancient Greece.
3. a small unit of weight in ancient Greece, approximately equivalent to the U.S. and British apothecaries' dram.
4. any of various modern weights, especially a dram.

drachma

/ ˈdrækmə /

noun

1. the former standard monetary unit of Greece, divided into 100 lepta; replaced by the euro in 2002
2. See dram
   another name for dram
3. a silver coin of ancient Greece
4. a unit of weight in ancient Greece

Other Words From

• drachmal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of drachma¹

1520–30; < Latin < Greek drachmḗ, probably equivalent to drach- base of drássesthai to grasp + -mē noun suffix (hence literally, handful)

Word History and Origins

Origin of drachma¹

C16: from Latin, from Greek drakhmē a handful, from drassesthai to seize

Example Sentences

They reckon that the Greeks will use their votes to demand a return to the drachma and trigger a stampede on the banks.

From The Daily Beast

But a new drachma is likely to lose at least half of its value compared with the euro.

From The Daily Beast

“This is not just about the euro or the drachma,” Samaras told a Greek reporter last week.

From The Daily Beast

And didn't I put down a solid drachma for you at the feet of Aphrodite's statue, when it was her feast the other day?

From Project Gutenberg

There, too, a Sicilian medimnus of barley is sold for a drachma, and one of wheat for nine Alexandrine obols.

From Project Gutenberg

An assarion is a small Roman copper coin worth one tenth of a drachma, or about an hour's wages for an agricultural laborer.

From Project Gutenberg

A drachma is a Greek silver coin worth about one Roman denarius, or about a day's wages for an agricultural laborer.

From Project Gutenberg

Half a silver shekel was a drachma, and this was therefore the true ancestor of our shilling.

From Project Gutenberg