rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryquidBritish currency
noun

quid

KWID/kwɪd/

A British pound sterling.

The shopper pays a quid for the small purchase at the market.

At a British market stall, a shopper hands the vendor a single pound sterling coin in exchange for a small purchase.
Etymology
quidProbable sourceLatinsomething or what

Probably associated with Latin quid, perhaps through quid pro quo. The slang money-name's origin remains uncertain.

In context

James Veitch3:58
"If we don't use it, we're out a few hundred quid, Dan."
The Agony of Trying to Unsubscribe | James Veitch | TED
David Birch4:53
…gets the sales from the first 20 tickets … He actually got 20 quid. Fantastic, right?
David Birch: A new way to stop identity theft

More examples

  • He borrowed a few quid from his friend.
  • The sign quoted the price as twenty quid.
  • She explained that quid was informal British money vocabulary.

Forms

quid

Similar words

pound
The standard currency name without informal British usage.