Sentence:  The <WSD>macoute</WSD>, or unit of valuation, is neither actual nor visible, because it is entirely abstract and ideal, like all units. It is a method of measuring the value of one commodity by comparing it with another, through the instrumentality of an abstract unit which has neither length nor breadth. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  An abstract measure of value, said to be used by various peoples of Africa.