Nearby Words

louis d'or

[loo-ee dawr; Fr. lwee dawr]

lou·is d'or

[loo-ee dawr; Fr. lwee dawr]
noun, plural lou·is d'or [loo-eez dawr; Fr. lwee dawr] .
a former gold coin of France, issued from 1640 to 1795; pistole.
Also called louis.


Origin:
1680–90; < French: literally, louis of gold; named after Louis XIII
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Louis d'or is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
Collins
World English Dictionary
louis d'or (ˌluːɪ ˈdɔː, French lwi dɔr)
 
n , pl louis d'or
1.  a former French gold coin worth 20 francs
2.  an old French coin minted in the reign of Louis XIII
 
[C17: from French: golden louis, named after Louis XIII]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

louis d'or

gold coin circulated in France before the Revolution. The franc (q.v.) and livre were silver coins that had shrunk in value to such an extent that by 1740 coins of a larger denomination were needed. The French kings therefore had gold coins struck and called after their name Louis, or louis d'or ("gold Louis"). After the Revolution, Napoleon continued the practice but called the coins "napoleons." They had a value of 20 francs.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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