franc
/fraŋk
/noun
The basic monetary unit of France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and several other countries, equal to 100 centimes (replaced in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg by the euro in 2002).There were no long queues or flurries of excited bank customers looking to exchange the Luxembourg franc for the euro last week....
- The prices helpfully flash up on the board in pounds, dollars, Swiss francs, pesetas and yen.
- Today, the dollar dropped almost 2% against both the Swiss franc and the euro.
Origin
From Old French, from Latin Francorum Rex 'king of the Franks', the legend on gold coins struck in the 14th century in the reign of Jean le Bon.