rupee

See also:rupée

English

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WOTD – 14 August 2017

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rupee

Wikipedia

Obverse & reverse of arupīyā issued bySher Shah Suri (r. 1540–1545), from which the word "rupee" derived

Present-day Indian rupee coins

Present-day Indian rupee banknotes

Rupees fromThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Alternative forms

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(all):Rs,Re,₨
(Indian rupee):₹

Etymology

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Coined bySher Shah Suri, the Sultan of the Suri Empire 1540–1545 asHindustaniरुपीया /رُوپِییَہ(rūpīya), variant ofरुपया /رُوپَیَہ(rūpaya,“rupee”), fromSanskritरूप्यक(rūpyaka,“silver coin”), fromरूप्य(rūpya,“wrought gold orsilver;stamped coin;beautiful, well-shaped;impressed,stamped”).Doublet ofrufiyaa andrupiah.

Pronunciation

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(Received Pronunciation)IPA^(key):/ˌɹuːˈpiː/,/ɹʊ-/
(General American)IPA^(key):/ɹuˈpi/,/ˈɹupi/
Audio(General Australian): (file)
Rhymes:-iː,(US)-uːpi
Hyphenation:ru‧pee

Noun

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rupee (pluralrupees)

The common name for themonetarycurrencies used in modernIndia,Mauritius,Nepal,Pakistan, theSeychelles, orSri Lanka.
- 1937,Rabindranath Tagore, “Lecture II: Supreme Man”, inMan: Lectures Delivered at theAndhra University under the Terms of the SirAlladi Krishnaswamy Endowment (Andhra University Series;no. 16), Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh: Kitabistan, published1946,→OCLC,pages37–38:
  In fact, the visible appearance of the iron is a symbol; it is not what it ultimately is. To take an analogy we are given a ten-rupee note. He knows it truly who at sight recognizes the piece of paper as a symbol of unity that represents ten separate silver coins.
- 1948,Mohandas K[aramchand] Gandhi, “At the High School”, inMahadev Desai, transl.,Gandhi’s Autobiography, or, The Story of My Experiments with Truth, Washington, D.C.: Public Affairs Press,→OCLC; reprinted asAn Autobiography; or The Story of My Experiments with Truth, New York, N.Y.:Dover Publications,2007,→ISBN,page12:
  In the fifth and sixth [standard] I obtained scholarships ofrupees four and ten respectively, an achievement for which I have to thank good luck more than my merit.
- 1999, Katar Singh, “Financing Rural Development”, inRural Development: Principles, Policies and Management, 2nd edition, New Delhi:SAGE Publications, published2005,→ISBN,page290:
  There are no precise estimates available about the capital requirements of agricultural and rural development in India. But the amount required is in hundreds of thousands ofcrores ofrupees.
- 2013, “Strategic and Development Profiles”, inSeychelles Business Law Handbook, volumes 1 (Strategic Information and Basic Laws), Washington, D.C.: International Business Publications,→ISBN,page15:
  The Seychellesrupee was allowed to depreciate in 2006 after being overvalued for years and fell by 10% in the first 9 months of 2007. Despite these actions, the Seychelles economy has struggled to maintain its gains and in 2008 suffered from food and oil price shocks, a foreign exchange shortage, high inflation, large financing gaps, and the global recession.
(historical) Asilvercoincirculating inIndia between the 16th and 20th centuries,weighing onetola (formerly 170–180 troy grains; from 1833, 180 troy grains).
- 1695 March 17, “East India Stock and Debts[marginal note]”, inJournals of the House of Commons. From November the 7th 1693, in the Fifth Year of the Reign of King William and Queen Mary, to November the 3rd 1697, in the Ninth Year of the Reign of King William the Third, London: Re-printed by Order of theHouse of Commons, published1803,→OCLC,page519, column 2:
  The only Evidence that was produced by the[East India] Company, was, a letter fromSamuel Annesley, atSurrat, dated the 16thJanuary 1694; wherein he gives this Account:Rupees. 655,000. Sent home as Cargo in the ShipsDefence andResolution.
- 1759,George Saleet al., “Sect. IX. An Historical Account of the French Commerce at Mocha, Bassora, Surat, on the Coast of Malabar and Coromandel; […]”, inThe Modern Part of An Universal History, from the Earliest Account of Time. Compiled from Original Writers, volume XI, London: Printed forS[amuel] Richardson [et al.],→OCLC, footnote H,page181:
  Theroupie, as theFrench write it,roupee, orrupee, as it is ſpelt in our authors, is a ſilver coin, ſomething broader than one of our ſhillings, and much thicker; in point of fineneſs, it is better than theEngliſh ſtandard; for its weight is 7 dwt. 11 gr. which, reduced to our ſtandard, would be 7 dwt. 13 mt.²⁄₂²⁄₆¹⁄₆³⁄₄.
- 1841 April 17,John Wilson, “Art. III.—Account of the Wáralís and Kátodís,—Two of the Forest Tribes of the Northern Konkan”, inThe Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, volume VII, London:John W[illiam] Parker,West Strand,→OCLC,page19:
  How much do you pay for a wife? Ninerupees and a half. / Why don't you give ten? It is not our custom. / Do you ever pay a smaller sum for a wife than ninerupees and a half? Sometimes, we conclude the bargain for eightrupees.
(video games) The primary currency ofHyrule.

Coordinate terms

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(modern Indian, Nepali, & Pakistani currencies):paisa(1/100 rupee)
(historical Bengali coin):pie(1/192 rupee),paisa(1/64 rupee),anna(1/16 rupee),mohur(variable between 12–15 rupees),double mohur
(historical Travancore coin):cash(1/448 rupee),chakram(1/28 rupee),fanam(1/7 rupee)