centavo

Thân thiện

A child saves a shiny centavo in her piggy bank.

Definition

Noun: 1. A fractional monetary unit: A centavo is a subunit of currency, representing one hundredth (1/100) of the basic monetary unit in several countries, primarily in Latin America and the Philippines.

Usage

The word "centavo" is used to specify an amount of money that is a fraction of the main unit. It is analogous to the "cent" in US dollars or the "penny" in British pounds. * In many countries, prices are written with the main unit and the centavo amount separated by a decimal point or comma (e.g., 5.50 means five units and fifty centavos). * It is commonly used in both spoken and written contexts when referring to precise monetary values.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The candy costs only twenty centavos.
  • I need a few more centavos to pay the exact fare.
  • In Mexico, one peso is divided into one hundred centavos.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in its plural form ("centavos") because monetary amounts typically involve more than one fractional unit.
• While its value is 1/100 in most countries, its specific value and purchasing power depend entirely on the value of the main currency unit (e.g., Mexican peso, Philippine peso, Brazilian real) to which it is tied.

Variants and Related Words

• Cent (noun): The equivalent fractional unit (1/100) of currencies like the US dollar, euro, and others. "Centavo" and "cent" share the same Latin root (, meaning "hundred").
• Céntimo (noun): A similar fractional monetary unit used in some other Spanish-speaking countries like Spain (for the euro) and Costa Rica.

Synonyms

• Fractional currency unit: A general term for any subunit of a main currency.
• Subunit: A secondary unit of measurement, in this case, of money.

Notes on Different Meanings

The core meaning of "centavo" is consistent across countries: a hundredth of the main unit. However, the specific main currency it is a part of changes: * In the Philippines, it is 1/100 of a Philippine peso. * In Mexico, it is 1/100 of a Mexican peso. * In Brazil, it is 1/100 of a real. * In Portugal (prior to adopting the euro), it was 1/100 of an escudo.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a fractional monetary unit of several countries: El Salvador and Sao Tome and Principe and Brazil and Argentina and Bolivia and Colombia and Cuba and the Dominican Republic and Ecuador and El Salvador and Guatemala and Honduras and Mexico and Nicaragua and Peru and the Philippines and Portugal