Agency Dictionary
denarius
nounPronunciation: /dɪˈnɛə.ri.əs/
In Portuguese: denário
History & Civilizations
Economics & FinanceWhat does “denarius” mean?
A standard silver coin in ancient Roman currency that served as the principal denomination of daily commerce and military pay.
Etymology
From Latin denarius, short for denarius nummus, "coin of ten", from deni, "ten each", from decem, "ten": the silver coin, introduced during the Second Punic War, was first worth ten bronze asses. The name outlived the coin. It gave Arabic dinar, French denier, Spanish dinero and Portuguese dinheiro, and the letter d that stood for the penny in British money until 1971.
Usage note
The plural is denarii. In English Bible translations the denarius often appears as a penny, and it is given there as a labourer's pay for a day.
Often confused with
- sestertius
- The sestertius was a smaller Roman coin, worth a quarter of a denarius, and the usual unit for stating prices and fortunes.
Word family
- denary
- denier
- dinar
Rhymes with
- various
- hilarious
- precarious
- vicarious
- gregarious
- nefarious
Usage examples
The silver denarius, minted with the faces of emperors and generals, circulated alongside local coins.
Concept
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.
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Also from these editions: terms
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- declamationnoun
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- pulsnoun
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- strigilnoun
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