Piastre

Alternative forms

• piaster (US)
• pyaster 17th c.

Origin

From Italian piastra ("plate of wood or metal; coin"), probably from Latin emplastra.

Full definition of piastre

Noun

1. (now historical) A Spanish or Spanish-American coin and unit of currency, originally worth eight real.
• 1630, John Smith, True Travels, in Kupperman 1988, p. 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 ....
2. A form of currency originally used in the Ottoman Empire, and now used in the Middle Eastern countries of Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan and Syria.

Anagrams

• parties, pastier, piaster, pirates, praties, raspite, tapiser, traipse