Word
louis
Phoneticslouis
US/ˈɫui/
UK/lˈuːi/
Definition
n. a gold or silver coin used in France a long time ago, named after the French kings.
n. A French gold or silver coin issued between 1640 and 1793, typically bearing the image of the reigning monarch.
Examples
“The museum displays a rare gold Louis from the seventeenth century.”
“While digging in the garden, the homeowner discovered a small jar containing several gold Louis coins.”
“The transition from the Louis to the decimal-based franc marked a significant shift in the French monetary system following the revolution.”
Examples
simple
“The museum displays a rare gold Louis from the seventeenth century.”
contextual
“While digging in the garden, the homeowner discovered a small jar containing several gold Louis coins.”
complex
“The transition from the Louis to the decimal-based franc marked a significant shift in the French monetary system following the revolution.”
Usage
Usually refers to the gold 'louis d'or' in historical literature.
Teaching tip
This term is almost exclusively found in historical novels or academic texts about pre-revolutionary France.
Etymology
From French Louis, from Middle French Loïs, Loïc, &c., from Old French Looïs, Luis, Lodhuvigs, Lodevis, Lodhwig, &c., from Latin Ludovicus, from Clodovicus, from Frankish Hlūdawīg, from Proto-Germanic hlūdaz (“loud; famous”) + *wīgą (“battle”). Doublet of Lewis (which is inherited since the Middle Ages) and, more remotely, Aloysius, Luis, Ludwig, Luigi, and Clovis.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/louis