bank-note

A cashier hands a customer a crisp bank-note as change.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A piece of paper currency: "bank-note" refers to a promissory note issued by a bank, payable to the bearer on demand, and used as money. It is a physical form of legal tender, typically printed on paper or polymer.

Usage Examples

• (She used a piece of paper currency worth fifty dollars.)
• (The previous paper money was taken out of use.)

Advanced Usage

• "to issue a bank-note": to officially release a note into circulation.

  • The central bank issued a new 20-pound bank-note featuring a historical figure. (The bank introduced a new paper currency into public use.)

• "bank-note forgery": the crime of counterfeiting paper money.

  • The criminal was arrested for bank-note forgery. (He was caught illegally producing fake paper currency.)

Variants and Related Words

• Banknote (n): a common alternative spelling without the hyphen.

  • The banknote was crisp and new. (The paper money was fresh and unused.)

• Bank-note paper (n): the specialized paper used to print banknotes, often containing security features.

  • The bank-note paper has a watermark to prevent counterfeiting. (The paper includes a hidden image for security.)

Synonyms

• Bill: a piece of paper money (used especially in American English).

  • He handed me a ten-dollar bill. (He gave me a ten-dollar paper note.)

• Note: a term for paper currency in British English.

  • The twenty-pound note is widely used in the UK. (The twenty-pound paper money is common.)

Related Idioms

• "A bank-note is only as good as the bank that issues it": a proverb meaning that value depends on the trustworthiness of the issuer.
  • The saying reminds us that a bank-note is only as good as the bank that issues it. (The value of paper money relies on the issuing institution’s reliability.)