écu

ecu (old French coin)

noun eh-KU Rare

Origin: From Latin 'scutum' (shield), as the coin bore a shield emblem.

Also means

shield (heraldic)

Usage Note

Écu was the principal silver — and sometimes gold — coin of pre-revolutionary France. In heraldry it denotes the shield-shaped device that carries a coat of arms. The plural écus is regular, but the word is encountered mainly in historical and heraldic contexts today.

Examples

"Il paya trois écus pour la marchandise."

Natural Translation

He paid three ecus for the goods.

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