# What's the smaller denomination of the Euro called? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775 "2008-09-09T13:54:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/1 "2008-09-09T13:54:43Z")
Took me ages to figure out how to phrase this question. Anyway, I googled for it and can’t find anything. The Euro is to X as the pound is to the penny (or dollar is to cent). What’s X? ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/2 "2008-09-09T14:02:58Z")
Eurocents, or just Cents A cent is a hundreth, think centimeters, centiliters and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/3 "2008-09-09T14:06:38Z")
Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/4 "2008-09-09T14:08:32Z")
NO problems, just glad that there finally was a GQ I could nail 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/5 "2008-09-09T14:24:28Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > What’s the smaller denomination of the Euro called? The dollar 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/6 "2008-09-09T14:50:46Z")
The Joey. (Completely distinctly from the coinage of “Euro” as short for “common European currency unit”, the term “Euro” is an Australian nickname, I believe derived from an Aboriginal language, for the Wallaroo.) ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/7 "2008-09-09T15:44:22Z")
> [@WormTheRed](#): > > Eurocents, or just Cents … or a rescognizable cognate (centesimo, sentti, etc) in the local language, except for Greece, where it’s λεπτό (sg.)/λεπτά (pl.) ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/8 "2008-09-09T16:27:41Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Anyway, I googled for it and can’t find anything. I’m curious to know what you Googled. If you type “euro” into Google, the first site that comes up is [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro)’s page on the euro, which says that the subunit is the cent, both in the sidebar and in the main copy. There’s also a link to a [page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_issues_concerning_the_euro) giving the different spellings and pronunciations for euros and cents throughout the EU. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/9 "2008-09-09T22:05:57Z")
And I’ll be the nitpicker who points out that, in the context of the Euro, the plural of “cent” is “cent”. I’ll also point out that the (American) dollar has three different named subunits: The dime, the cent, and the mill. If you take the change out of your pocket, you’ll notice that the penny is marked “One Cent”, and the nickel is marked “Five Cents” but the dime is just marked “One Dime”. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/10 "2008-09-09T22:17:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And I’ll be the nitpicker who points out that, in the context of the Euro, the plural of “cent” is “cent”. Crap - I had to slip up on my first real GQ-answer. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/11 "2008-09-09T23:24:01Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I’m curious to know what you Googled. If you type “euro” into Google, the first site that comes up is [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro)’s page on the euro, which says that the subunit is the cent, both in the sidebar and in the main copy. > > There’s also a link to a [page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_issues_concerning_the_euro) giving the different spellings and pronunciations for euros and cents throughout the EU. Honestly, I don’t remember, but it appears I massively overthought it. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/12 "2008-09-10T06:58:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And I’ll be the nitpicker who points out that, in the context of the Euro, the plural of “cent” is “cent”. In Ireland even, where they speak English? > [@](#): > > I’ll also point out that the (American) dollar has three different named subunits: The dime, the cent, and the mill. If you take the change out of your pocket, you’ll notice that the penny is marked “One Cent”, and the nickel is marked “Five Cents” but the dime is just marked “One Dime”. I’ve always wondered if I could write a check in dimes, or mills, and if it would be understood and processed by my bank. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/13 "2008-09-10T08:10:36Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > In Ireland even, where they speak English? > . In official documents yes but in common use no (same for all countries where the plural is normally formed by adding an “s”). ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/14 "2008-09-10T10:34:21Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > In official documents yes but in common use no (same for all countries where the plural is normally formed by adding an “s”). Actually, the main reason a lot of Irish people say “cent” and “euro” for the plurals is that the Irish government misinterpreted EU documents, and TV and radio started using those forms. In official EU papers they use the s-less plurals, but it was never meant to dictate how people say and write the words in everyday use. See [Language and the euro - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linguistic_issues_concerning_the_euro#In_Ireland) > [@](#): > > the Directorate-General for Translation, the EU’s translation service, recommends that in English language texts the regular plurals ‘euros’ and ‘cents’ should be used in non-legal documents intended for the general public > [@](#): > > At the time the s-less plurals were introduced, at least some people complained[13] that the EU ought not attempt to “change English grammar”. (This was a misunderstanding of the “legislative plural” policy. The Commission has made it clear that local conventions for plural formation should apply in most contexts and the “legislative plural” is expected only in a narrow range of contexts—that is, only in legislation. On the other hand, it remains the case that Irish broadcasters are not following the Commission’s recommendations.) People who have become accustomed to what they hear on daily television and radio use the s-less plurals. These are also seen written on the notes and coins, though this is less likely to influence usage than broadcasting. If the euro is ever adopted in the UK, I’m sure we won’t use s-less plurals - other than in the vernacular, as we do with pounds on occasion: “I’ve got 10 pound in me pocket” etc… ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/15 "2008-09-10T11:11:33Z")
Idiomatically, the French say “centime” regardless of what’s on the coin, but then they had a decimal currency beforehand and only the buying-power of the centime has changed (from “jack” to “very little”). ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/16 "2008-09-10T16:38:40Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ll also point out that the (American) dollar has three different named subunits: The dime, the cent, and the mill. If you take the change out of your pocket, you’ll notice that the penny is marked “One Cent”, and the nickel is marked “Five Cents” but the dime is just marked “One Dime”. To add some trivia: in colloquial speech, in the times of DM, 10 Pfennig were called “Groschen” (an older form of currency; also the offical name for the Austrian currency). Many people now apply this to the 10 cent coin. In Bavaria, a 2 DM coin was called “Zwickl” (this was featured in some newspapers because the heads of famous politicans were on that coin, among them Franz Josef Strauss, so when the [Zwick-Scandal](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Zwick) erupted, it fit like a T.) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/17 "2008-09-10T18:24:39Z")
Looking at the coins themselves, an American 5-cent piece is labeled “Five Cents”, while the European equivalent is labeled “5 Cent”. I suspect that the reason is that Europe has many languages, which form plurals in different ways, and by keeping the official plural the same as the singular, they wouldn’t be favoring any of them. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/18 "2008-09-10T20:32:53Z")
So you are saying that, over there, he really IS Fi’ty Cent? \:D ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/19 "2008-09-10T20:38:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > …I’ll also point out that the (American) dollar has three different named subunits: The dime, the cent, and the mill. If you take the change out of your pocket, you’ll notice that the penny is marked “One Cent”, and the nickel is marked “Five Cents” but the dime is just marked “One Dime”. And the quarter or 25-cent piece is marked “quarter dollar,” on the back below the eagle. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2008, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775/20 "2008-09-11T08:02:02Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > In Ireland even, where they speak English? Yes, I think it’s more normal to hear “fifty cent” here than “fifty cents”. Before the euro it was also normal to hear “fifty pound”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-smaller-denomination-of-the-euro-called/462775.md?page=2)