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florin

 - 4 dictionary results

flor⋅in

[flawr-in, flor-]
–noun
1. a cupronickel coin of Great Britain, formerly equal to two shillings or the tenth part of a pound and retained in circulation equal to 10 new pence after decimalization in 1971: first issued in 1849 as a silver coin.
2. the guilder of the Netherlands.
3. a former gold coin of Florence, first issued in 1252 and widely imitated.
4. a former gold coin of England, first issued under Edward III.
5. a former gold coin of Austria, first issued in the middle of the 14th century.

Origin:
1275–1325; ME < MF < OIt fiorino Florentine coin stamped with a lily, deriv. of fiore flower < L flōrem, acc. of flōs flower

Flor⋅in

[flawr-in, flor-]
–noun
a town in central California, near Sacramento. 16,523.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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flor·in   (flôr'ĭn, flŏr'-)   
n.  
  1. A guilder.

  2. A British coin worth two shillings.

    1. A gold coin first issued at Florence, Italy, in 1252.

    2. Any of several gold coins similar to the Florentine florin, formerly used in Europe.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Old Italian fiorino, from fiore, flower (from the lily on the coins), from Latin flōs, flōr-, flower; see bhel-3 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

florin 
1303, from O.Fr. florin, from It. fiorino, from fiore "flower," from L. florem "flower" (see flora). The 13c. gold Florentine coin was stamped on the obverse with the image of a lily, the symbol of the city.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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