guilder

1 the basic unit of money in Suriname; equal to 100 cents [syn: gulden, florin]

2 formerly the basic unit of money in the Netherlands; equal to 100 cents [syn: gulden, florin, Dutch florin]guilder See guilde

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪldə(r)

Noun

1. The former currency unit in the Netherlands, divided into 100 cents.
2. The former currency unit in Suriname, divided into 100 cents.
3. The current currency unit in the Netherlands Antilles, divided into 100 cents.

Translations

• Dutch: gulden

Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch gulden — from Old Dutch for 'golden'. The guilder originated as a gold coin (hence the name) but has been a common name for a silver or base metal coin for some centuries. The name has often been interchangeable with florin.

One-and-a-half guilder was called a daalder (see thaler); two-and-a-half guilder was called a rijksdaalder. The word daalder/thaler is the origin of dollar.

Current guilder:

• Netherlands Antillean guilder

Former currencies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands:

• Dutch guilder
• Surinamese guilder

Historical guilders or guldens:

• Austro-Hungarian gulden
• British Guianan guilder
• Danzig gulden
• South German gulden
• Rhenish gulden (florenus Rheni) issued by Trier, Cologne and Mainz (:de:Rheinischer Münzverein)

Guilder and Florin are also two fictional nations in the book The Princess Bride.

See also

Other coin names that are derived from the gold of which they were once made:

• Öre, øre
• Złoty