cen·ta·vo 
(sĕn-tävō)
(sĕn-tävō)n. pl. cen·ta·vos
1. A unit of currency that is equal to 1/100 of the primary unit of currency in many Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries, including Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.
2. A former unit of currency that was equal to 1/100 of the Portuguese escudo.
[Spanish, hundredth, from Latin centum, hundred; see dek in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]