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You are here: Home / Language / Why Is an English Pound Sterling Called a “Quid”, What Does it Mean, and Where Did the Word Come From?

Why Is an English Pound Sterling Called a “Quid”, What Does it Mean, and Where Did the Word Come From?

April 5, 2020 by Karen Hill

When the people of Great Britain exchange money for goods or services, they will often refer to the value of a pound note as a quid.

even though centuries earlier a quid referred to a sovereign, the most important gold coin in history.

One pound is equal to one hundred pence.

When exchanged for something of equal value the deal in Latin is quid pro quo, something for something, which when abbreviated becomes simply quid.

That’s why an English pound sterling is called a “quid”.

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  • Why Are the Abbreviations of Pound and Ounce, lb. and oz. and How Did They Originate?
  • The History of the Dictionary

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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