cur·ren·cy

[kur-uhn-see, kuhr-]
noun, plural cur·ren·cies.
1.
something that is used as a medium of exchange; money.
2.
general acceptance; prevalence; vogue.
3.
a time or period during which something is widely accepted and circulated.
4.
the fact or quality of being widely accepted and circulated from person to person.
5.
circulation, as of coin.

Origin:
1650–60; < Medieval Latin currentia. See current, -ency

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Currency is always a great word to know.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
currency (ˈkʌrənsɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
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
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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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.
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