Word
giro
UK/dʒˈaɪɹəʊ/
Definitions
01bank transfer
n. a way of moving money from one bank account to another using a special form.
n. a method of transferring funds between different account holders through a banking system, typically initiated by the payer.
“You can pay your monthly rent by bank giro to save time.”
“The company requested that all international invoices be settled via giro to ensure the funds reached their account without intermediary delays.”
Synonyms
02benefit payment
n. a cheque or payment sent by the government to people who are unemployed.
n. a social security or unemployment benefit payment, originally issued as a physical cheque.
“He went to the post office to cash his giro as soon as it arrived.”
“During the economic downturn of the 1980s, many families in the region were entirely dependent on their fortnightly giro to cover basic costs.”
British English · Informal
Usage
Often used to refer to the day the payment arrives, as in 'giro day'.
Teaching tip
This sense is strongly associated with the UK and Ireland; it can carry a slight social stigma depending on the context.
Synonyms
03to transfer money
v. to send money from one bank account to another.
v. to transfer funds between accounts using a giro system.
“The bank will giro the funds to your account by the end of the day.”
“The treasury department was instructed to giro the remaining balance to the subsidiary's holding account before the fiscal year concluded.”
Technical · Formal
Usage
The verb is transitive and takes a monetary amount or the funds as an object.
Etymology
Via German, from Italian giro (“circulation”), from Latin gyrus (“circle”), from Ancient Greek γῦρος (gûros, “circle”), from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to curve, to bend”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/giro