ruble

[roo-buh l] /ˈru bəl/
noun
1.
a silver or copper-alloy coin and monetary unit of Russia, the Soviet Union, and its successor states, equal to 100 kopecks.
Also, rouble.
Origin
1545-55; < Russian rubl'; Old Russian rublĭ literally, stump, plug, derivative of rubiti to chop; probably orig. denoting a piece cut from a silver bar, or a bar notched for division into smaller pieces
Examples from the web for ruble
  • The government announced a moratorium on the repayment of some foreign debt and a restructuring of ruble-denominated debt.
  • The ruble went into free fall as russians sought frantically to buy dollars.
British Dictionary definitions for ruble

rouble

/ˈruːbəl/
noun
1.
the standard monetary unit of Belarus and Russia, divided into 100 kopecks
2.
the former standard monetary unit of Tajikistan, divided into 100 tanga
Word Origin
C16: from Russian rubl silver bar, from Old Russian rublǐ bar, block of wood, from rubiti to cut up

ruble

/ˈruːbəl/
noun
1.
a variant spelling of rouble
Word Origin and History for ruble
n.

unit of the Russian monetary system, 1550s, via French rouble, from Russian rubl', perhaps from Old Russian rubiti "to chop, cut, hew," so called because the original metallic currency of Russia (14c.) consisted of silver bars, from which the necessary amount was cut off; from Proto-Slavic *rub-, from PIE root *reub-, *reup- "to snatch" (see rip (v.)).

Encyclopedia Article for ruble

rouble

the monetary unit of Russia (and the former Soviet Union) and Belarus (spelled rubel).

Learn more about rouble with a free trial on Britannica.com