| 释义 |
rupee|ruːˈpiː|
Forms: α. 7 rupia, 7–8 ropia, 8 roupia; 7 (9) rupeia. β. 7 roopee, rowpee, roupy, 7–8 roupie; 7 rupeye, rupie, 7– rupee.
[ad. Urdū rūpiyah, f. Skr. rūpya wrought silver.]
The monetary unit of India, represented by a cupro-nickel (formerly silver) coin and equivalent to 100 paise (see paisa). Also, the monetary unit of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and a number of other countries.
The silver rupee was introduced by Shir Shah in 1542, and varied in weight at different times and places between 170 and 192 grains; from 1836 the weight in British India was 180 grains, but the value diminished considerably after 1875. A slightly heavier rupee was in use in Bengal: see sicca1. The gold rupee mentioned in quot. 1678 is properly called a mohur.
α1612N. Withington Trav. (1735) 289 Givinge mee 200 Rupeias, everye Rupie containinge 2s. 6d. 1613Purchas Pilgrimage v. xvii. (1614) 544 The Kings reuenue of his Crown-land is fiftie Crou of Rupias. 1665Phil. Trans. I. 104 They now sell us a Maon of 6 pounds for two Rupias. 1704Collect. Voy. (Churchill) III. 578/2, 1000 of them weigh not above 20 Ropias, and cost about 60 Ropias. 1728Chambers Cycl. s.v. Money, A Lacre of Roupias is a hundred thousand Roupias. [1841Elphinstone Hist. Ind. II. 245 Shir Sháh changed the name of tankha to that of rupeia, or rupee, which was adopted by Akber.]
β1615Sir T. Roe Jrnl. (Hakl. Soc.) I. 95 note, A rupee is 2s. 3d. starling. 1638Sir T. Herbert Trav. (ed. 2) 62 Thirty, sometime twenty tack make one roopee; a roopee is two shillings three pence. 1678J. Phillips tr. Tavernier's Trav. ii. 2 The Roupy of Gold weighs 2 Drams and a half, and 11 Grains, and is valued..at 14 Roupies of Silver. 1712E. Cooke Voy. S. Sea 164 Forty Roupies to be allow'd James Stretton in India, as Smart-Money. 1761Ann. Reg., Hist. 55 Sixteen roupies (half-crowns) had been paid for the flesh of a dog. 1842J. Bischoff Woollen Manuf. II. 312 The usual price demanded for such a pair of shawls is 3000 rupees. 1893Sir W. Hunter Ind. Empire (ed. 3) 506 The rupee, which formerly was nearly equal to two shillings, has fallen to nearly fourteen pence.
attrib.1727A. Hamilton New Acc. E. Ind. II. 42 Rupee Silver, which has no Alloy in it, will bear twenty eight per Cent. of Copper-alloy. 1884St. James's Gaz. 10 May 7/2 There was a sharp rise yesterday in rupee paper. 1887Pall Mall G. 7 Nov. 11/1 The rupee prices in India of commodities exported to..England. |