drachma

noun

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drach·ma | \ ˈdrak-mə

plural drachmas or drachmai\ ˈdrak-ˌmī

\ or drachmae\ ˈdrak-(ˌ)mē

, -ˌmī \

Definition of drachma

1a : any of various ancient Greek units of weight

b : any of various modern units of weight especially : dram entry 1 sense 1a

2a : an ancient Greek silver coin equivalent to six obols

b : the basic monetary unit of Greece from circa 1831 to 2001

Examples of drachma in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web What is more, the very existence of a single currency smothered the market signals that would have come from, say, a separate drachma or lira, market signals that have averted or lessened many disasters in the past. — Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 26 Mar. 2021 All that was needed to make this happen was to drop a five-drachma coin into a slot in the urn, just as a young lady would do at an underground station to get a box of almonds. — Vladimir Nabokov, The New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2019 Fears about the euro flared up again in 2015 as the left-wing Syriza party took control of Greece amid rumblings about a return to the drachma. — Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, 29 May 2018 Would Greece leave the euro and return to the drachma? — A.e. Stallings, WSJ, 28 July 2017 Thanks to the debt crisis, some Greek officials are contemplating dumping the common currency for the drachma. — David Wolman, WIRED, 27 Dec. 2011

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'drachma.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.