What does écu mean?

Definitions for écu
eɪˈku or, sometimes, ˈiˈsiˈyuécu

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word écu.


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Wiktionary

  1. écunoun

    A silver coin formerly used in France, with varying values.

  2. ecunoun

    The European Currency Unit (symbol u20A0), a currency used in the European Community before the euro.

Wikidata

  1. Écu

    The term écu may refer to one of several French coins. The first écu was a gold coin minted during the reign of Louis IX of France, in 1266. Ecu means shield, and the coin was so called because its design included a shield bearing a coat of arms. The word is related to scudo and escudo. The value of the écu varied considerably over time, and silver coins were also introduced. When Louis IX took office, France still used small silver deniers, which had circulated since the time of Charlemagne to the exclusion of larger silver or gold coins. Over the years, French kings had granted numerous nobles and bishops the right to strike coins and their “feudal” coinages competed with the royal coinage. Venice and Florence had already shown that there was demand for larger silver and gold coins and in 1266 Louis IX sought an advantage for the royal coinage by expanding it in these areas. His gold écu d'or showed a shield strewn with fleur-de-lis, which was the coat of arms of the kings of France at the time. These coins were valued as if gold was worth only 10 times as much as silver, an unrealistic ratio which Edward III of England had unsuccessfully tried to use. It failed again, Louis IX’s silver coins were a great success but his gold was not accepted at this rate and his successor discontinued gold coinage.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Écu

    ā′kü, or ā-kū′, n. a French silver coin, usually considered as equivalent to the English crown—there were also gold écus weighing about 60 grains: a common name for the five-franc piece. [Fr.,—L. scutum, a shield.]

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. ecu

    (Fr.). A large shield which was used by the ancients, and carried on their left arm, to ward off the blows of sword or sabre. This instrument of defense was originally invented by the Samnites. The Moors had ecus, or shields, sufficiently large to cover the whole of their bodies. The clipei of the Romans only differed from the ecu in shape; the former being entirely round, and the latter oval.

Suggested Resources

  1. ÉCU

    What does ÉCU stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the ÉCU acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Anagrams for écu »

  1. CUE

  2. cue

  3. UCE

How to pronounce écu?

How to say écu in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of écu in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of écu in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Popularity rank by frequency of use

écu#10000#21437#100000

Translations for écu

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"écu." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/%C3%A9cu>.

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