α. 1500s–1600s rubbel, 1500s–1600s rubbell, 1500s– rubble, 1500s– ruble, 1600s–1700s rubel, 1700s rublis (plural).
β. 1500s robell, 1500s–1600s roble, 1600s robble.
γ. 1600s– rouble.
δ. 1700s– rooble (now nonstandard).
roublen.
/ˈruːbl/, U.S. /ˈrub(ə)l/ 1. The principal monetary unit of Russia and some other former republics of the Soviet Union, equal to 100 kopeks. In early use also: a money of account used in Russia, equivalent to the English mark (mark n.2 2a).Originally in the form of a silver coin (cf. sense 2).
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > standards and values of currencies > [noun] > specific monetary units or units of account > specific Russian
rouble1557
society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > foreign coins > [noun] > Russian coins
rouble1557
copeck1698
imperial1768
half-imperial1839
α.
β. 1560 Let. in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1599) I. 307 Wee vnderstand by your letters that you be at a point with the Russe for the Waxe, Tallow, and Traine oyles that he shipped the last yere for 311 robles 20 altines.a1584 S. Borough in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1599) I. i. 280 They held one tooth of a Morse..at a roble.1638 L. Roberts Merchants Mappe of Commerce 163 Flax is sold by the Bercovet; the bright silver colour is held the best, commonly about 7 robbles the Bercovet.γ. 1607 W. Russell Rep. Massacre in Citty of Mosco sig. A4 The Archers had for the most part, 70. Roubles a yeare, and besides this, the revenewe of certaine lands.1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 97 Though, in trading, the Muscovites use the words, Altin, Grif, and Rouble [Fr. Rouble].., yet is there no Coins of that kind.1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Money In Muscovy,..the Rouble [is] equal to 100 Copecs, or 2 Rixdollars, or 9 Shillings Sterling.1787 J. Bentham Def. Usury vii. 71 He immediately pays back his 30 roubles.1833 R. Pinkerton Russia 8 The support of this naval establishment costs the crown 30 millions of roubles annually.1868 Pall Mall Gaz. 23 July 8 Rye-flour now costs 1 rouble 20 kopecs (four shillings) the poud (thirty pounds).1926 D. L. Sayers Clouds of Witness v. 116 There were purchases, through the bank, of German marks, Russian roubles, and Roumanian lei.1966 J. Porter Sour Cream v. 58 The K.G.B. is willing to shell out a small fortune in roubles for me, dead or alive.1999 E. Europe & Commonw. Independent States (ed. 4) 195/2 The rate per Russian rouble was adjusted to 3 Belarusian roubles in October 1993.2000 Victorian July 13/2 It is possible to find a necklace in stock for one and a half million roubles.δ. 1740 E. Chambers Cycl. (ed. 3) In Muscovy,..the rooble [is] equal to 100 copecs, or 2 rixdollars, or 9 shillings sterling.1832 R. M. Martin Tea Trade Eng. 39 [Tea] of the value of Roobles 5,671,726.1878 H. L. Roth Agric. & Peasantry Russia 88 Land is let from 1 rooble to 10 roobles per shestdaysyatty dess[yatin].1916 Louisiana Planter & Sugar Manufacturer 30 Dec. 421/3 Since a long series of years the duty amounted to 1.75 rooble per pood, but in 1914 it was raised to 2 roobles.1959 Corsicana (Texas) Daily Sun 13 May 8/1 They dont mind so mutch, because their taxes are only in roobles.1557 S. Borough in R. Hakluyt Voy. (1589) 316 The Emperour gaue vnto M. Standish 70 rubles in money, and to the rest of our men of occupations 30 rubles apiece.
1589 R. Hakluyt tr. J. Hasse in Princ. Navigations ii. 293 Three Rubbles of siluer.
1603 R. Johnson tr. G. Botero Hist. Descr. Worlde 154 They receiue, some 1000. some 80. rubles a yeare.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 290 They make all contracts by a money called Rubble, which is altogether imaginarie, for they have no such coyne, and it is esteemed in England at thirteene shillings foure pence sterling.
1664 in G. Miege Relation of Three Embassies (1669) 269 Is six thousand rubles yearly..so necessary a summe to so great a Prince?
1710 C. Whitworth Acct. Russia (1758) 75 In 1703, great quantities of specie, Rubles, half Rubles, &c., were made, though the mass of the money is still in Copecks.
1739 R. Hayes Negociator's Mag. (ed. 4) xxiii. 340 In Archangel and Petersburg most Merchants keep their Accounts in Rubbles and Copecks.
1811 P. Kelly Universal Cambist 371 This gives the value of the old Ruble 3s. 2d. sterling, and of the new, 3s. 2½d.
1855 Englishwoman in Russia 37 He came to borrow a few rubles, which she kindly gave him.
1919 Titonka (Iowa) Topic 31 July The old Russian rubble was equal to 52 cents. Everything is paper now but we get a few coins now and then.
1961 M. Hindus House without Roof iii. xix. 401 The generous-souled Russians..will readily lend their last ruble to a fellow student for flowers for his girl.
1997 Washington Times 6 Feb. a17/5 The long deflation of the Russian rubble has stopped, with the currency's value now stable vis-a-vis the U.S. dollar.
2007 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 15 July i. 9/5 Russian authorities..are setting aside billions of rubles for the construction of ‘techno-parks’.
2. A paper money of less value (later of more value) than the silver rouble. More fully paper rouble. Now historical.The paper rouble was first introduced around 1770, as an assignat. During the second half of the 19th cent. the relative values of the paper and silver rouble fluctuated greatly, with the paper rouble eventually becoming inconvertible (inconvertible adj. 3). When Russia joined the gold standard in 1897 the difference between the two currencies was eradicated, although the rouble continued to be available primarily in paper form until 1924.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > foreign banknotes > [noun] > Russian
rouble1799
chervonetz1923
1799 W. Tooke View Russ. Empire III. xii. vi. 679 Ten and five ruble notes were again made to the amount of 10 millions.
1800 tr. C. F. P. Masson Secret Mem. Court of Petersburg I. v. 276 Thirty thousand rubles in paper for a grand-duke of all the Russias.
1811 P. Kelly Universal Cambist I. 375 In 1808,..1 Silver Ruble was worth 2 Rubles of Exchange, or 2 of Bank Paper.
1874 F. G. D. Bedford Sailor's Pocket Bk. ix. 273 100 Copecks = 1 Silver Rouble = 3s. 2d... Paper money is the chief medium of payment. The paper Rouble is worth about 2s. 6d. sterling.
1896 Trans. Actuarial Soc. Amer. 4 474 To-day the silver rouble is intrinsically worth less than 40 cents, while the paper rouble is worth more than 50 cents of our gold standard money.
1918 Mag. Wall St. 16 Mar. 852/2 The rouble depreciated very slowly, reaching low levels in 1866, 1877 (Russian-Turkish War) and 1887, in which year the old paper rouble reached its bottom price of 40 cents.
2005 T. C. Owen Dilemmas Russ. Capitalism p. xlv The credit, or ‘paper’, ruble..gradually lost so much of its value under the last four emperors that it was worth only 67 gold kopeks in 1897, when the imperial government placed the ruble on the gold standard.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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