peseta
/pəˈseɪtə
/noun
(Until the introduction of the euro in 2002) the basic monetary unit of Spain, equal to 100 centimos.An international businessman might live in US dollars, but if the purpose of the account is to buy a house in Spain, his portfolio currency is actually pesetas....
- When I go through my old lira, pesetas, francs and drachma, I am reminded of the true meaning of being ‘in the Navy,’ and seeing something unique outside the United States.
- What is Spain without the peseta, France without the franc, what would America be without the dollar, even the old IR for the Irish pound had a characteristic all its own.
Origin
Spanish, diminutive of pesa 'weight', from Latin pensa 'things weighed', from the verb pendere 'weigh'.