Denarius
/dɪˈnɛəriəs/noun
An ancient Roman silver coin, originally valued at ten asses and later used as a monetary unit in the Roman world.
Did you know?The denarius began as a coin worth ten asses, but after monetary reforms its value became sixteen asses—while its name stubbornly preserved the older number.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*déḱm̥
“Ten”
Ancient Latin
Latin
decem
“Ten”
Early Latin
Latin
deni
“Ten each; ten apiece”
3rd Century BCE
Latin
denarius
“A coin originally worth ten asses”
Classical Latin
Latin
dēnārius
“Relating to ten; a Roman silver coin”
Medieval Latin
Latin
denarius
“A monetary unit and accounting term”
Modern English
English
denarius
“A Roman coin, especially in historical, biblical, or archaeological contexts”