What does euro mean?
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone, the group of European Union countries that have adopted it, and is subdivided into 100 cents. Launched as an accounting currency on 1 January 1999 and issued as physical notes and coins on 1 January 2002, it replaced long-standing national currencies such as the German mark, French franc, Italian lira, and Spanish peseta. Today it is used by roughly twenty EU member states and ranks among the world's most important currencies for trade, reserves, and international finance. In everyday English the plural is usually "euros", though official EU usage prefers the invariant form "euro". The word derives simply from "Europe", reflecting its role as a symbol of economic integration. For English speakers, the euro is a practical vocabulary item for travel, commerce, and news about the European economy, appearing constantly in reporting on exchange rates, inflation, and monetary policy set by the European Central Bank.
nounThe official currency of the eurozone — the group of European Union member states that have adopted it — equal to 100 cents. It was introduced for electronic and banking transactions on 1 January 1999 and entered circulation as notes and coins on 1 January 2002.
- The official monetary unit of the participating member states of the European Union, divided into 100 cents.
"The hotel room cost ninety euros per night."
"She exchanged her pounds for euros before flying to Lisbon."
"Greece adopted the euro in 2001, replacing the drachma."
Both plurals are correct: "euros" dominates informal and journalistic writing, while EU institutions and legal texts typically leave the noun unchanged, as with "five million euro".
"Tickets to the museum cost twelve euros each."
When the euro launched in 2002, it became the first shared physical currency in Western Europe since the Roman Empire.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of euro
The word "euro" is a straightforward clipping of "Europe", chosen in the 1990s during planning for the European Union's single currency after earlier proposals such as the "ecu" were set aside. It entered English with the currency itself, which began trading in 1999 and appeared as cash in 2002. Its root is the name Europe, ultimately from Greek mythology's Europa, making "European" its closest etymological relative.
How euro is actually used
In official EU usage the plural is invariant: "ten euro". However, "euros" is the normal plural in everyday English and is widely accepted in dictionaries; both forms are correct, with "euros" more natural in general prose. The word is capitalized only at the start of a sentence. It takes lowercase even though it names a specific currency, unlike some other currency names in certain style guides.
Easily confused with euro
"Euro-" is a combining form meaning "European" (as in Eurovision or Eurosceptic), whereas "euro" as a standalone noun refers to the currency itself.