drachma [drak-muh, drahk-] ExamplesWord Origin noun, plural drach·mas, drach·mae [drak-mee, drahk-] /ˈdræk mi, ˈdrɑk-/.
- a cupronickel coin and monetary unit of modern Greece until the euro was adopted, equal to 100 lepta. Abbreviation: dr., drch.
- the principal silver coin of ancient Greece.
- a small unit of weight in ancient Greece, approximately equivalent to the U.S. and British apothecaries’ dram.
- any of various modern weights, especially a dram.
Also drachm. Origin of drachma 1520–30; Latin Greek drachmḗ, probably equivalent to drach- base of drássesthai to grasp + -mē noun suffix (hence literally, handful)Related formsdrach·mal, adjective Examples from the Web for drachma Contemporary Examples of drachma
They reckon that the Greeks will use their votes to demand a return to the drachma and trigger a stampede on the banks.
Will Greece Leave the Euro Zone?
Louise Armitstead
June 13, 2012
“This is not just about the euro or the drachma,” Samaras told a Greek reporter last week.
Greek Elections May Force Euro Withdrawal
Barbie Latza Nadeau
June 10, 2012
Historical Examples of drachma
Men who take from the poor daily interest for a drachma, and spend it in debauchery.
Lydia Maria Child
Nine oboli were a drachma and a half, or about six sestertii.
Aubrey Stewart
Oh, she was most reasonable: one drachma, and a loaf of bread.
The Works of Lucian of Samosata, v. 4
Lucian of Samosata
Five obols went to the drachma, and a hundred drachmas to the mina.
Alfred John Church
“I would have given a thousand drachma to have got to the train,” said the girl moodily.
William McFee
British Dictionary definitions for drachma drachma noun plural -mas or -mae (-miː)
- the former standard monetary unit of Greece, divided into 100 lepta; replaced by the euro in 2002
- US another name for dram (def. 2)
- a silver coin of ancient Greece
- a unit of weight in ancient Greece
Word Origin for drachma C16: from Latin, from Greek drakhmē a handful, from drassesthai to seize Word Origin and History for drachma n.
1570s, from Greek drakhme, an Attic coin and weight, probably originally “a handful” (see dram). Earlier as dragme (late 14c.), from Old French dragme, from Medieval Latin dragma.