de·val·u·a·tion

[dee-val-yoo-ey-shuhn]
noun
1.
an official lowering of the exchange value of a country's currency relative to gold or other currencies.
2.
a reduction of a value, status, etc.

Origin:
1910–15; devaluate + -ion

min·i·de·val·u·a·tion, noun
post·de·val·u·a·tion, adjective
pre·de·val·u·a·tion, noun, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
devaluation (diːˌvæljuːˈeɪʃən) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  Compare depreciation a decrease in the exchange value of a currency against gold or other currencies, brought about by a government
2.  a reduction in value, status, importance, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Devaluation is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

devaluation
1898, from de- + valuation. Specific application to currency is from 1914.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

devaluation definition


A policy undertaken by a nation to reduce the value of its national currency either in relation to gold or in relation to the currencies of other nations.

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
It made use of external devaluation, but it actually had to impose capital
  controls to limit the adjustment.
Being seen on television could cut against that nagging sense of devaluation.
Now, of course, over the long run a perpetual programme of devaluation will
  make a currency worthless.
For such high-value commodities, the effect of currency devaluation on the
  trade balance is uncertain.
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