adjective / noun
picayune
pik-uh-YOON/ˌpɪkəˈjuːn/
An old Spanish-American coin of small value.
The museum displays a picayune among its early American coins.
Etymology
Picayune probably comes from picaillon, a small-value coin. In English, the coin's slight monetary worth became a figurative measure of importance: paltry or beneath notice.
More examples
- The merchant accepted a picayune as payment.
- She found two picayunes in a box of old coins.
- The catalog identifies the picayune as a Spanish half-real.
Forms
picayune · picayunes
Similar words
- half-real
- Names the denomination rather than its regional American nickname.
- coin
- A general term that specifies neither denomination nor historical origin.