noun
- Plural of centesimo; a monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a larger currency unit, formerly used in Italy and other countries.
Usage: Primarily historical; refers to Italian currency before the euro adoption in 2002.; Also used in other countries' monetary systems.
Examples
- The old Italian coins included centesimi worth one hundredth of a lira.
- Before the euro, Italians counted their change in centesimi.
- The museum displayed a collection of centesimi from the early 20th century.
- A postcard might have cost only a few centesimi to mail decades ago.