peso

[pey-soh; Spanish pe-saw] /ˈpeɪ soʊ; Spanish ˈpɛ sɔ/
noun, plural pesos
[pey-sohz; Spanish pe-saws] /ˈpeɪ soʊz; Spanish ˈpɛ sɔs/ (Show IPA)
1.
a coin and monetary unit of Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Mexico, and the Philippines, equal to 100 centavos.
2.
a coin and monetary unit of Uruguay, equal to 100 centesimos.
3.
a former monetary unit of Argentina, equal to 100 centavos: replaced by the austral in 1985.
4.
a former silver coin of Spain and Spanish America, equal to eight reals; dollar; piece of eight; piaster.
Origin
< Spanish: literally, weight < Latin pēnsum something weighed, noun use of neuter of pēnsus, past participle of pendere to weigh
Examples from the web for peso
  • By that time, the weak peso had created a growing tourism boom that had infused the city with new energy.
  • Third comes the peso convertible, a piece of scrip with a value pegged to that of the dollar.
  • So almost everyone scrambles to make an extra buck or peso.
  • As the last year of dollar-peso convertibility wore on, everyone jockeyed to make sure that someone would not be them.
  • The government's policy of keeping the peso artificially cheap means that wages in dollars are low, checking the inflow.
  • Earlier this year it tried to halt the appreciation of the peso because of concerns this was curbing exports.
  • If its new government floats the peso, however, the block could eventually revive.
  • The budget is in deficit, the current account is near zero, and the peso is overvalued.
  • His particular charm is the ability to enjoy all of life's creature comforts without paying a peso of his own money.
British Dictionary definitions for peso

peso

/ˈpeɪsəʊ; Spanish ˈpeso/
noun (pl) -sos (-səʊz; Spanish) (-sos)
1.
the standard monetary unit, comprising 100 centavos, of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the Philippines; formerly also of Guinea-Bissau, where it was replaced by the CFA franc
2.
the standard monetary unit of Uruguay, divided into 100 centesimos
3.
another name for piece of eight
Word Origin
C16: from Spanish: weight, from Latin pēnsum something weighed out, from pendere to weigh
Word Origin and History for peso
n.

"Spanish coin," 1550s, from Spanish peso, literally "a weight," from Latin pensum, properly past participle of pendere "to hang, to cause to hang" (see pendant).

Encyclopedia Article for peso

the monetary unit of several Latin American countries and the Philippines; it is divided into 100 centavos. The peso was introduced into Spain by the monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, who reformed the Spanish coinage system in 1497; it did not come into common use, though, until the time of Charles I (the emperor Charles V)

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