currency

currency (ˈkʌrənsɪ)

—n , pl -cies
1.	a metal or paper medium of exchange that is in current use in a particular country
2.	general acceptance or circulation; prevalence: the currency of ideas
3.	the period of time during which something is valid, accepted, or in force
4.	the act of being passed from person to person
5.	(Austral) (formerly) the local medium of exchange, esp in the colonies, as distinct from sterling
6.	slang (Austral)
	a. (formerly) the native-born Australians, as distinct from the British immigrants
	b. (as modifier): a currency lad

[C17: from Medieval Latin currentia, literally: a flowing, from Latin currere to run, flow]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

currency

1657, "condition of flowing," from L. currentum, pp. of currere "to run" (see current); the sense of a flow or course extended 1699 (by John Locke) to "circulation of money."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Cultural Dictionary

currency definition

Any form of money in actual use as a medium of exchange.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences

But often there is something amiss when a middle-income country has such a rich

currency.

Bags of gold, silver, and paper currency arrived here by horse-drawn vans and

were carted upstairs to the vaults.

Once these conditions are in place, it will make sense to use the yuan as a

reserve currency.

Cooling things off a bit is clearly the government's priority this year, and a

rising currency helps.