Early
private bank currency issues in
French-speaking regions of
Canada were denominated in piastres, and the term continued in official use for some time as a term for the
Canadian dollar. For example, the original French version of the 1867
Constitution of Canada refers to a requirement that senators hold property . The term is still unofficially used in
Quebec,
Acadian,
Franco-Manitoban, and
Franco-Ontarian language as a reference to the Canadian dollar, much as English speakers say "bucks." (The official French term for the modern Canadian dollar is .) When used colloquially in this way, the term is often pronounced and spelled (pl. ). It was equivalent to 6
New France livres or 120 , a quarter of which was "", which is also still in slang for a 25-cent coin. was also the original French word for the
United States dollar, used for example in the French text of the
Louisiana Purchase. Calling the US dollar a
piastre is still common among speakers of
Cajun and
New England French, though in standard French is used for the currency. The term is also used as slang for a US dollar in the
French-speaking Caribbean islands, most notably
Haiti.
Piastre is another name for
kuruş, of the
Turkish lira. The
piastre is still used in
Mauritius when bidding in auction sales, similarly to the way that
guineas are used at British racehorse auctions. It is equivalent to 2
Mauritian rupees. ==See also==