escudo

IPA/eˈskuːdəʊ/
KK[ɛskˈudo]IPA/eˈskuːdəʊ/

escudo — noun

  • escudosingular
  • escudosplural

1. the official form of money that Portugal used until it switched to the euro in 2

1.nounB1
Definition

the official form of money that Portugal used until it switched to the euro in 2002, and that Cape Verde still uses today.

Example

Bao paid five hundred escudos for a handwoven rug at the market in Praia.

countable: [number] + escudos for prices

Before joining the euro zone, Portuguese workers received their salaries in escudos.

Common collocations
  • pay [number] escudos
  • cost [number] escudos
  • [number]-escudo note/coin
  • Portuguese escudo
  • Cape Verdean escudo

Grammar Patterns

[number] + escudo(s)

Usage Note

The plural is usually 'escudos', though the singular form can be used in compound modifiers (e.g. 'a fifty-escudo stamp').

Common Mistakes

He paid 500 euro for the hotel in Cape Verde.
He paid 500 escudos for the hotel in Cape Verde.
Cape Verde does not use the euro; its currency is the escudo.

Etymology

LatinPortugueseEnglish

The name 'escudo' comes from Portuguese and Spanish, where it means 'shield' — early coins in Portugal and Spain were marked with a coat of arms or shield design. The word traces back to Latin 'scutum', also meaning shield. The currency was introduced in Portugal around the 15th century as a gold coin and later became the national paper currency until the euro replaced it in 2002.

First known use

1821

1821, in the meaning defined at sense 1