French word

écu

Pronunciation

IPA/eky/

Meaning

  • masculine nounecu

Example

Mon grand-père avait un écu dans sa collection.

My grandfather had an ecu in his collection.

Illustration for écu (ecu)

More examples

Le blason portait un écu doré.

The coat of arms bore a golden shield.

Core concept

A round gold or silver coin carrying a ruler's heraldic shield.

Similar words

pièce: A metal coin used to make payments.
monnaie: Coins or banknotes used for payments or change.
argent: Currency or cash used to pay for things.
billet: A paper banknote used for payments.

Definition in French

Ancienne monnaie française, généralement une pièce d'or ou d'argent frappée du blason du souverain et utilisée comme moyen de paiement du Moyen Âge jusqu'à l'époque moderne.

Word origin

Écu comes from Old French escu, 'shield', from Latin scutum, and came to name a coin bearing a ruler's shield.

Usage tips

  • Écu is masculine, so its usual indefinite article is un écu and its definite form is l'écu.

Other meanings

  • escutcheonnoun

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