Rubles

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A unit of currency used in Russia and some other former Soviet states, typically denoted by the symbol "₽"
2. A form of money that serves as a medium of exchange, unit of account, and store of value in various transactions
3. The official currency that plays a key role in the economic system of certain countries, facilitating trade and investment

Etymology: "Rubles" is simply the plural of "ruble," the currency of Russia (and of Belarus, among others, under different spelling conventions). The singular came into English from Russian "рубль" (rublʹ), and it is a doublet of the related forms "rubel" and "rubl," meaning that all three descend from the same Russian source but were adopted at different times or through different spellings. The Russian word itself is older than the coin it names. It is thought to derive from a verb meaning "to chop" or "to cut," reflecting the early practice of cutting silver bars or ingots into pieces of set weight to serve as money. The "rubl" was therefore a chopped-off portion of metal, a sense that survives only in the etymology rather than in everyday use.