SHEKEL

shekel

(noun) the basic unit of money in Israel

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

shekel (plural shekels or shekalim)

A currency unit of both ancient and modern Israel.

(slang, often, antisemitic) Money, especially that purportedly owned or distributed as bribes by Jewish elites.

(historical) An ancient unit of weight equivalent to one-fiftieth of a mina.

Source: Wiktionary


Shek"el, n. Etym: [Heb. shegel, fr. shagal to weigh.]

1. An ancient weight and coin used by the Jews and by other nations of the same stock.

Note: A common estimate makes the shekel equal in weight to about 130 grains for gold, 224 grains for silver, and 450 grains for copper, and the approximate values of the coins are (gold) $5.00, (silver) 60 cents, and (copper half shekel), one and one half cents.

2. pl.

Definition: A jocose term for money.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

30 March 2025

EVANGELICAL

(adjective) of or pertaining to or in keeping with the Christian gospel especially as in the first 4 books of the New Testament


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.

coffee icon