florin

¹

[ flawr-in, flor- ]

noun

1. a cupronickel coin of Great Britain, formerly equal to two shillings or the tenth part of a pound and retained in circulation equal to 10 new pence after decimalization in 1971: first issued in 1849 as a silver coin.
2. the guilder of the Netherlands.
3. a former gold coin of Florence, first issued in 1252 and widely imitated.
4. a former gold coin of England, first issued under Edward III.
5. a former gold coin of Austria, first issued in the middle of the 14th century.

Florin

²

[ flawr-in, flor- ]

noun

1. a town in central California, near Sacramento.

florin

/ ˈflɒrɪn /

noun

1. a former British coin, originally silver and later cupronickel, equivalent to ten (new) pence
2. the standard monetary unit of Aruba, divided into 100 cents
3. (formerly) another name for guilder
4. any of various gold coins of Florence, Britain, or Austria

Word History and Origins

Origin of florin¹

1275–1325; Middle English < Middle French < Old Italian fiorino Florentine coin stamped with a lily, derivative of fiore flower < Latin flōrem, accusative of flōs flower

Word History and Origins

Origin of florin¹

C14: from French, from Old Italian fiorino Florentine coin, from fiore flower, from Latin flōs

Example Sentences

The coins, called a florin, a leopard and a helm, were minted in early 1344, but withdrawn within months.

From BBC

His fine was 5,000 florins and two years’ banishment, with a permanent ban from public office.

From The Guardian

Built of stout timber, banded with iron, beset with florin spikes, the door did not appear to be locked.

From Literature

The senate voted immediately to grant Galileo an appointment for life at the University of Padua in Italy, with an annual salary of 1,000 florins — back when 1,000 florins really meant something1.

From Nature

Pre-decimal coins, such as the florin and the shilling, which were not demonetised until the 1990s, had effectively ceased to circulate long before then.

From BBC