Crusadoes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Coins formerly used in Portugal and its colonies, often gold or silver, valued for trade and historical currency exchange
2. Precious metal money historically minted and circulated in the Iberian region and overseas territories, typically made of valuable alloys
3. Monetary units from a past era associated with Portuguese commerce, recognized for their role in economic transactions and colonial trade systems

Etymology: "Crusadoes" is simply the plural of "crusado," a gold coin once minted in Portugal. The coin took its name from the cross (cruzado in Portuguese and Spanish means "marked with a cross" or "crossed") stamped on its face, the emblem of the Christian crusades that the Portuguese crown adopted on its currency. The word is a participle of the verb "cruzar," meaning to cross, and the same name was used in Spain, which explains why English took the term from both languages. Because the coin circulated widely in the Portuguese trading empire, its name spread along the same routes as Portuguese merchants, reaching English usage through the commercial and colonial dealings the definition describes. The plural "crusadoes" follows the Portuguese-influenced spelling, where "-o" endings in singular nouns often take "-oes" in the plural, a pattern seen in other words borrowed from Portuguese.

Synonyms: coins, pieces of eight