Rei
/ˈreɪ.i/noun
A former Portuguese monetary unit, traditionally subdivided into 1,000 réis.
Did you know?The Portuguese currency name came from the monarch depicted or invoked by the coinage system, linking ordinary transactions directly to royal authority.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃reǵ-
“to straighten, rule, or govern”
Classical Latin
Latin
rēx
“king”
Vulgar Latin
Latin
rēge
“of or belonging to the king; the source of the Romance development”
Medieval Portuguese
Portuguese
rei
“king”
14th–20th Century
Portuguese
real / réis
“A Portuguese monetary unit; réis was its traditional plural”
Modern English
English
rei
“A former Portuguese monetary unit”