What does didrachm mean?
A didrachm was a silver coin of ancient Greece, valued at two drachmas and struck by numerous city-states across the Mediterranean between roughly the sixth and third centuries BC. The name derives from the Greek words for "two" (di-) and "drachma," reflecting its face value. Didrachms were substantial coins by the standards of their day — often enough to cover a labourer's daily wage — and were widely used in trade, taxation, and mercenary pay. Because different mints produced them with distinctive designs, didrachms are prized today by numismatists as both artworks and historical documents: their imagery reveals the patron deities, symbols, and political aspirations of the cities that issued them. The word appears almost exclusively in academic, archaeological, and coin-collecting contexts rather than everyday conversation, making it a useful term for anyone reading about classical antiquity, ancient economies, or the origins of coined money.
nounAn ancient Greek silver coin worth two drachmas, minted in various Greek city-states and widely circulated in the classical world.
- An ancient Greek silver coin equal in value to two drachmas, struck by many city-states and used throughout the Mediterranean world.
"The hoard contained a remarkably well-preserved didrachm from the mint of Croton."
"The museum's collection includes a fifth-century BC didrachm bearing the image of an owl."
"Merchants along the Adriatic trade routes commonly settled accounts in didrachms."
The anglicized plural "didrachms" is standard in modern English; the Latinized "didrachmae" appears occasionally in older scholarly works.
"The merchant counted out twenty didrachms to pay the harbour tax."
A didrachm was the going rate for a day's work in parts of the ancient Greek world — two silver drachmas that could buy bread, wine, and a seat at the theatre.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of didrachm
The word "didrachm" comes from the Greek "didrachmon" (δίδραχμον), formed from "di-" meaning "twice" and "drachme," the standard Greek silver coin whose name originally referred to a handful (literally "a grasp") of metal rods used as primitive currency. English adopted the term in the late sixteenth or seventeenth century through Latin scholarly writing about ancient coins and the New Testament, where the didrachm appears in the account of the temple tax. It shares its root with related numismatic terms such as "tetradrachm" (four drachmas) and with "drachma" itself.
How didrachm is actually used
"Didrachm" is a scholarly or numismatic term, encountered mainly in discussions of ancient history, archaeology, and coin collecting. It is not used in everyday speech. The plural is "didrachms," though Latinized forms such as "didrachmae" occasionally appear in older texts.
Easily confused with didrachm
A drachma was the basic unit of ancient (and later modern) Greek currency, whereas a didrachm was specifically a coin worth two drachmas.