Solidus (coin)
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The name solidus had previously been used by Diocletian (284–305) for the gold coin that he introduced, which is different from the solidus introduced by Constantine. The coin was struck at a theoretical value of 1/72 of a Roman pound (about 4.5 grams). Solidi were wider and thinner than the aureus, with the exception of some lesser quality reproductions from the Byzantine Empire. The weight and fineness of the solidus remained relatively constant throughout its long production, with few exceptions. Fractions of the solidus known as semissis (half-solidi) and tremissis (one-third solidi) were also produced.
The word soldier is ultimately derived from solidus, referring to the solidi with which soldiers were paid.
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[edit] Impact on world currencies
Variations on the word solidus gave rise to a number of currency units:
[edit] France
To this day, sou is used as slang for money, as in sans le sou. "I'm broke", "without money". It is also a slang term for the Canadian cent (standard French, cent).
[edit] Italy
The name of the medieval Italian soldo (plural soldi) was derived from solidus.
[edit] Spain
The name of the medieval Spanish sueldo (which also means salary) was derived from solidus, which is also used in the Philippines as Suweldo. Subsequently the name of the Peruvian sol (more formally sol de oro intended to mean gold solidus) was derived from this name although, because sol actually means sun in Spanish (from the Latin sol), the etymology of the currency's name is commonly misunderstood.
[edit] United Kingdom
Until decimalisation in the United Kingdom in 1971, the abbreviation s., from solidus, was used to represent a shilling, worth one-twentieth of a Pound Sterling, just as d. stood for denarii (pennies) and £ stood and still stands for Libra (pound), leading to the abbreviation "£sd". Though the shilling and its abbreviation are no longer used, a slang word for shilling, "bob", is still occasionally used in expressions like "a few bob", i.e. a small amount of money.
[edit] See also
- Roman currency
- Byzantine coinage
- Slash (punctuation) (also called a solidus)
