Cordobas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A currency unit used in Nicaragua, subdivided into smaller units known as centavos
2. the official monetary system of Nicaragua, named after the city of Córdoba in Spain
3. a means of exchange that reflects the economic activities and values within the country of Nicaragua

Etymology: "Cordobas" is the plural of "cordoba," the name of Nicaragua's currency. The singular form takes its name from Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, the Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that founded the first Spanish settlements in Nicaragua in the 1520s, and whose surname also gave its name to the Spanish city of Córdoba. Because the currency honours a person, the plural follows ordinary Spanish practice for a noun ending in a consonant-free vowel with a stressed final syllable, so speakers of Spanish form "cordobas" by adding the plural ending "-s." In English usage the plural is written the same way, so a sum of money is simply counted in "cordobas."