# piastre
## English
### Alternative forms

* piaster (US)
* pyaster [17th c.]

### Etymology

From French piastre, from Italian piastra (“plate of wood or metal; coin”), probably from Latin emplastra.

### Pronunciation

* (General American) IPA: /piˈæstɚ/, /piˈɑstɚ/
* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /piˈæstə/, /piˈɑːstə/
* Rhymes: -æstə(ɹ), -ɑːstə(ɹ)

### Noun

piastre (plural piastres)
* (now historical) A Spanish or Spanish-American coin and unit of currency, originally worth eight real.
** 1630, John Smith, True Travels, Kupperman, published 1988, page 39:The Silkes, Velvets, Cloth of gold, and Tissue, Pyasters, Chicqueenes and Sultanies, which is gold and silver, they unloaded in foure and twentie houres, was wonderfull [...].
* (historical) A form of currency formerly used in the French-speaking parts of Canada.
* (historical) A form of currency formerly used in French Indochina.
* (historical) A form of currency originally used in the Ottoman Empire.
* (historical) A form of currency formerly used in Cyprus.
* A form of currency currently used as a subunit in the Middle Eastern and East African countries of Egypt, Jordan (partly including Palestine), Lebanon, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria.
* (Louisiana) A dollar.

#### Translations
### See also

* ghurush

### Anagrams

* tapiser, parties, rapiest, pirates, eartips, pastier, praties, piaster, traipse, teparis, Patries, @ parties, airstep, Prestia, Pirates, raspite

## French
### Alternative forms

* piasse (North America, colloquial)

### Etymology

Borrowed from Italian piastra. Doublet of plâtre.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /pjastʁ/
* (Quebec) IPA: /pjastʁ/, /pjas/
* (Louisiana) IPA: /pjas/
* Audio (Canada):(file)

### Noun

piastre f (plural piastres)
* (historical) piastre (one of several historical units of currency)
* (North America, now colloquial, formerly also official) Canadian or American dollar
    Synonyms: dollar, piasse (informal)
    Neuf, ça vaut au moins mille piastres, je l’ai eu pour la moitié. ― It's worth at least a thousand bucks new; I got it for half that.
** 1803, Traité d'achat de la Louisiane (Louisiana Purchase Treaty)‎:3. La piastre ayant cours de monnaie dans les États-Unis, il est convenu que dans les comptes auxquels la présente convention donnera lieu, le rapport de ladite monnaie, avec le franc, sera invariablement fixé à cinq francs 3.333 / 10.000, ou cinq livres huit sols tournois.3. It is agreed that the Dollar of the United States Specified in the present Convention shall be fixed at five francs 3333/100000 or five livres eight Sous tournois.
** 1867, Loi constitutionnelle de 1867 (Constitution Act, 1867)‎:Les qualifications d’un sénateur seront comme suit : [...] 4. Ses propriétés mobilières et immobilières devront valoir, somme toute, quatre mille piastres, en sus de toutes ses dettes et obligations.The Qualifications of a Senator shall be as follows: [...] 4. His Real and Personal Property shall be together worth Four thousand Dollars over and above his Debts and Liabilities.
** 2009, Robert Maltais, Le Curé du Mile End, page 195:Non, non, c’est juste une joke. Garde-lé, ton vingt piastres.No, no, I was just joking. Keep it, your twenty bucks.

### Further reading

* “piastre”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Italian
### Noun

piastre f
* plural of piastra

### Anagrams

* Pratesi, apriste, arpiste, espatri, estirpa, paresti, pesarti, pratesi, prestai, rapiste, ripesta, saperti, sparite, sperati, spietra, spirate, spretai, sterpai, stipare, stiperà