Dictionary Definition
shekel n : the basic unit of money in
Israel
User Contributed Dictionary
Etymology
From sc=Hebr < sc=Hebr.Pronunciation
- /'ʃekəl/
- Rhymes: -ɛkəl
- Hyphenation: shek·el
Noun
Derived terms
Translations
currency unit in Israel
- French: shekel
- Spanish: shekel
Extensive Definition
Shekel also rendered sheqel, refers to one of
many ancient units of weight and currency. The first known usage
is from
Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. One
explanation is given for the origination of this word as to have
originally applied to a specific mass of barley, and the first
syllable of the word, 'she' was Akkadian
for barley. A shekel was
originally 180 grains
(8.33 grams). Another explanation is given, that the word Shekel in
Hebrew means
to weigh; and the English
word "scale" and the Persian "sigloi" is thought to derive from
it.
The earliest shekels were not money, but were a
unit of weight, used as other units of weight such as grams and
troy ounces for trading before the advent of coins. Early coins
were money stamped with an official seal to certify their weight.
Coins were invented by the early Anatolian traders who stamped
their own marks so that they would not have to weigh it again each
time it was used. Silver ingots, some with markings on them were
issued. Later the stamping was taken over by official authorities
who designed the coins. (Detroit Institute of Arts, 1964) Herodotus states
that the first coinage was issued by Croesus, King of
Lydia,
spreading to the golden Daric (worth 20
sigloi
or shekel), issued by the Persian Empire and the Silver Athenian
obol and drachma.
The plural can be shekels, sheqels or sheqalim.
In some regions of the United
States, the term is used informally for "money," particularly in situations
where value is an important consideration.
It most commonly refers to an ancient Hebrew unit of
weight. As with many ancient units, the shekel represented a
variety of values depending on date, domain and region. Sources
quote weights between 9 and 17 grams and values of 11, 14, and 17
grams are common. It can be a gold or silver coin equal in weight to one of
these units, especially the chief silver coin of the Hebrews.
The shekel was commonly used among other western
Semitic
peoples as well. Moabites, Edomites and Phoenicians all
used the shekel, the latter as coinage as well as for a unit of
weight. Punic coinage was based on the shekel, a heritage from
their Canaanite ancestors. The Aramaic spelling tekel appears with
a symbolic meaning in
the writing on the wall during the feast of
Belshazzar, according to the Book of
Daniel.
Since 1980, the sheqel has
been the currency of the modern state of Israel, first the
Israeli
sheqel, then (since 1985) the Israeli
new sheqel.
The shekel is also a unit of measurement in
New
Crobuzon, the setting of China
Miéville's Bas-Lag series, and the nickname of one of the main
characters in The Scar.
References
- Detroit Institute of Arts, 1964 Coins of the Ancient World
Notes
shekel in Catalan: Sicle
shekel in Czech: Šekel
shekel in German: Schekel
shekel in French: Shekel
shekel in Galician: Novo Sheqel
shekel in Italian: Siclo
shekel in Hebrew: שקל
shekel in Japanese: シェケル
shekel in Dutch: Sjekel
shekel in Polish: Szekel
shekel in Portuguese: Shekel
shekel in Russian: Шекель
shekel in Finnish: Sekeli
shekel in Swedish: Shekel
shekel in Yiddish: ניי-שקל