drachma

noun

drach·​ma ˈdrak-mə How to pronounce drachma (audio)
plural drachmas or drachmai ˈdrak-ˌmī How to pronounce drachma (audio) or drachmae ˈdrak-(ˌ)mē How to pronounce drachma (audio)
-ˌmī
1
a
: any of various ancient Greek units of weight
b
: any of various modern units of weight
especially : dram entry 1 sense 1a
2
a
: 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For decades, investors who bet heavily on gold—goldbugs, as they’re known colloquially—have preached a consistent narrative: The value of your dollars or drachmas or Dogecoin could collapse at any moment, but gold is a safe-haven asset, perfect for times of economic stress or political unrest. Greg McKenna, Fortune, 21 Nov. 2024 The party publicly advocates departure from the euro and a return to the drachma, along with a possible departure from the EU. George Tsebelis, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2015 The situation in Greece fails all three prongs of this test, particularly when Greece is flirting with a euro exit, to be followed by a huge devaluation of the new drachma and all the assets denominated in it. Roger Barris, Foreign Affairs, 17 July 2015 Switching to the drachma or another currency would likely trigger a sea of bankruptcies, as companies would be forced to honor a debt burden denominated in euros with a considerably weaker currency. Omar G. Encarnación, Foreign Affairs, 26 July 2015 Greek citizens would probably try to maintain the euro as a unit of account and means of exchange, leading to parallel circulation of the drachma and the euro. Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2010 In its extreme form, this proposal also calls for the reinstatement of the drachma, because moving to the less valuable currency could restore Greece’s economic competitiveness. Lorenzo Bini Smaghi, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2010 The drachmas were totally useless, as Greece has been on the euro since before I was born. David Sedaris, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2023 From Greece, drachma coins reading Megas-Alexandros, or Alexander the Great, rendered in bronze. Christopher Bonanos, Town & Country, 18 Aug. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek drachmē — more at dram entry 1

First Known Use

1525, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of drachma was in 1525

Dictionary Entries Near drachma

Cite this Entry

“Drachma.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drachma. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

drachma

noun
drach·​ma ˈdrak-mə How to pronounce drachma (audio)
plural drachmas or drachmai -ˌmī How to pronounce drachma (audio) or drachmae -(ˌ)mē How to pronounce drachma (audio)
-ˌmī
1
: any of various ancient Greek units of weight
2
a
: an ancient Greek silver coin
b
: the former basic unit of money of Greece
also : a coin representing this unit

More from Merriam-Webster on drachma

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