What does centesimi mean?
Centesimi is the plural form of centesimo, a word denoting one-hundredth parts of particular monetary systems. Most familiarly, centesimi were the small-change subdivisions of the Italian lira, which circulated until the euro replaced the lira in 2002. The term also applies to other currencies that adopted the same subunit name, including the euro issues of San Marino and Vatican City and the Panamanian balboa's hundredth part. Because the lira's value had eroded so far by the twentieth century, actual centesimi coins became practically worthless, and the word today carries a distinctly retrospective flavor: it appears in discussions of pre-euro Italian life, coin collecting, and historical price lists. Derived ultimately from Latin centesimus, meaning 'hundredth,' it belongs to the wide family of European decimal-currency terms built on the root for 'hundred.' For travelers browsing old menus or collectors cataloguing lira coinage, centesimi remains the standard term for those long-vanished fractions of a lira.
nounCentesimi is the plural of centesimo, a fractional monetary unit equal to one hundredth of certain currencies, such as the former Italian lira and the euro as issued by San Marino and Vatican City.
- Plural of centesimo: one-hundredth units of certain currencies, especially the former Italian lira.
"The old coins were still valid for a while after the changeover, though prices quoted only in lira and centesimi soon vanished from everyday life."
"A cup of espresso cost perhaps two hundred lire, not even a single centesimo more."
"San Marino still mints commemorative euro coins whose face values are expressed in centesimi."
Centesimi is itself a plural form (the singular is centesimo); it takes plural verbs in English usage.
"Only a handful of centesimi remained in the bottom of her purse."
Italy spent over a century pricing things in lire e centesimi before the euro swept both away in 2002.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of centesimi
Centesimi comes from Italian centesimo, 'one hundredth,' which derives directly from the Latin adjective centesimus, 'hundredth,' itself formed from centum, 'hundred.' Italian adopted the term when it introduced its decimal currency system in the nineteenth century, following the pattern set by France's centime and other decimal subunit names across Europe. It shares this Latin root with English words such as centesimal, percent, and century, all built on the same ancient numeral.
Related word forms
How centesimi is actually used
Almost always encountered in historical, numismatic, or travel contexts relating to Italy and other countries that used the centesimo as a currency subunit. In modern Italian usage it survives mainly on coins and in formal financial writing.
Easily confused with centesimi
Centimes are hundredths of franc-based currencies (French, Swiss, CFA francs), while centesimi are hundredths of currencies like the lira or the Sammarinese and Vatican euro.