écu

[ ey-kyoo; French ey-ky ]
/ eɪˈkyu; French eɪˈkü /

noun, plural é·cus [ey-kyooz; French ey-ky] /eɪˈkyuz; French eɪˈkü/.

the shield carried by a mounted man-at-arms in the Middle Ages.
any of various gold and silver coins of France, issued from the 13th through the 18th centuries, bearing the figure of a shield.

Origin of écu

1695–1705; < French; Old French escu < Latin scūtum shield

Words nearby écu

écorché, écossaise, écraseur, écrasé, écrevisse, écu, écurie, édhessa, égalité, élan, élan vital

British Dictionary definitions for écu (1 of 2)

écu
/ (eɪˈkjuː, French eky) /

noun

any of various former French gold or silver coins
a small shield

Word Origin for écu

C18: from Old French escu, from Latin scūtum shield

British Dictionary definitions for écu (2 of 2)

ECU
/ (ˈeɪkjuː, sometimes ˈiːˈsiːˈjuː) /

n acronym for

European Currency Unit: a former unit of currency based on the composite value of several different currencies in the European Union and functioning as both the reserve asset and the accounting unit of the European Monetary System; replaced by the euro in 1999