obol

[ ob-uhl ]

noun

1. a silver coin of ancient Greece, the sixth part of a drachma.
2. obole.

Word History and Origins

Origin of obol¹

First recorded in 1660–70; obolus

Example Sentences

The tomb was respectfully furnished with worldly goods such as baskets, perfume bottles, clothing, ceramic urns, vessels containing grains and nuts, and Charon’s obol, a coin placed in the mouth or near the body of the dead to ensure safe passage to the Underworld.

From New York Times

Charon’s obol is a term for a coin, typically placed in the mouth of a dead person before burial.

From Fox News

Were the Ptolemies in essence colonial occupiers and exploiters, bent on wringing the last drachma and obol from a captive land regardless of the consequences?

From Literature

And whether the country’s currency is the euro, the drachma or, as it was in the days before Christ, the obol, this is the way it has always been.

From Washington Post

He'll ask no obol, but instal you there On Styx's further bank without a fare.

From Project Gutenberg