Cruzados

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historical type of gold or silver coin used in Spain, characterized by its cross design
2. Referring to a set of medieval Spanish coins, often minted in the 14th and 15th centuries, with a distinctive cross emblem
3. A monetary unit of early modern Spain that served as a significant form of currency, featuring a cross motif on its face

Etymology: "Cruzados" is simply the plural of "cruzado," a word borrowed from Portuguese. The coins were named for the cross stamped on them, since "cruzado" means "marked with a cross." The Portuguese word and the English "cruciate" are doublets: they descend from the same Latin root, "crux" (cross), but reached their current forms by different routes. "Cruciate," meaning cross-shaped, kept closer to the Latin, while "cruzado" took on the sense of a coin.