What does didrachma mean?
The didrachma was a silver coin of ancient Greece, so named because it was worth two drachmas — the drachma being the standard unit of Greek currency. Struck by many city-states from roughly the sixth century BC onward, it served as a substantial denomination for trade, tribute, and taxation across the Mediterranean world. One of its best-known varieties, the Tyrian didrachma, was minted at Tyre and valued for its reliably high silver content; it is widely believed to be the coin referenced in accounts of the annual half-shekel Temple tax of first-century Judea. Today the word survives chiefly in numismatic, archaeological, and biblical scholarship, where precision about denominations matters. For general readers, encountering "didrachma" signals a text engaged seriously with antiquity — and it offers a neat reminder that much of what we know about the ancient economy comes from the humble coins that changed hands within it.
nounAn ancient Greek silver coin worth two drachmas, used throughout the classical Greek world and in the eastern Mediterranean under Roman rule.
- An ancient Greek silver coin equal in value to two drachmas.
"The Tyrian didrachma, prized for its consistent silver content, was the coin most likely paid for the Temple tax in first-century Judea."
"Minted at Athens in the fifth century BC, the didrachma circulated widely across the Aegean trade routes."
"Collectors at the auction bid eagerly on the well-preserved didrachma bearing the owl of Athena."
The anglicized plural "didrachms" is standard; the Greek-style "didrachmae" appears occasionally in scholarly writing.
"The hoard contained over two hundred didrachms buried sometime in the fourth century BC."
The famous 'coin in the fish's mouth' in the Gospel of Matthew was almost certainly a didrachma — the exact value of the annual Temple tax.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of didrachma
The word derives from ancient Greek "didrachmon" (δίδραχμον), a compound of "di-" meaning "twice" or "double" and "drachme," the basic silver coin of the Greek world. It entered English through Latin as a learned borrowing, appearing in scholarly writing on classical antiquity. It shares its root with related denomination terms such as "tetradrachm" (four drachmas) and "drachma" itself, which was later revived as the currency of modern Greece until 2002.
How didrachma is actually used
A scholarly and numismatic term; it appears mainly in discussions of ancient history, archaeology, and biblical studies rather than everyday speech. The plural is usually "didrachms," though the Greek-style plural "didrachmae" also occurs.
Easily confused with didrachma
The drachma was the basic unit of ancient Greek currency (and later modern Greek currency), while the didrachma was a larger coin worth exactly two drachmas.