scudo

See also: Scudo

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian scudo (“a crown, a dollar, a shield”), from Latin scutum (“a shield”). Compare the doublets scute, escudo, scutum, and écu.

Noun

scudo (plural scudos or scudoes or scudi)

1. (historical) A silver coin and unit of currency of various Italian states from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
   • 2007, Nancy L. Canepa, translating Giambattista Basile, Tale of Tales, Penguin 2007, p. 46:

     And this was the salvation of his house, for several large chunks of plaster cracked off and inside he discovered a pot full of golden scudos.

2. A former unit of currency in Malta, now the official currency of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
3. (historical) A unit of currency in 19th-century Bolivia, equal to 16 soles.

Anagrams

• docus, doucs

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Italian

Uno scudo longobardo – A Langobard shield

Uno scudo francese – A French écu

Etymology

From Latin scūtum, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *skei- (“to cut, split”), an extension of *sek- (“to cut”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsku.do/
• Rhymes: -udo
• Hyphenation: scù‧do

Noun

scudo m (plural scudi)

1. shield, specifically:
2. a broad piece of defensive armor, carried on the arm, formerly in general use in war, for the protection of the body
3. (by extension) anything that protects or defends; defense; shelter; protection
4. (figuratively) one who protects or defends
5. (heraldry) the escutcheon or field on which are placed the bearings in coats of arms
6. (geology) a large expanse of exposed stable Precambrian rock
7. (numismatics) Used to designate various monetary units, specifically:
   1. (historical) a gold or silver coin minted in Italy bearing the image of a shield; scudo
   2. (historical, by extension) any similar coin of non-Italian mintage; écu, escudo
   3. (historical) a silver coin minted in Italy valued at 5 lire. [18th c. – c. 1918]
8. (historical, Rome) a 5000-lira banknote
9. (Rome) a 5-euro banknote

Derived terms

• levata di scudi (“outcry”)
• scudato
• scudetto
• scudiero
• scudocrociato

Descendants

• → English: scudo