trente sous

French

Etymology

From 1841 until the adoption of the Canadian dollar in 1858, Canada under British rule maintained a fixed exchange rate of 4 United States dollars per Canadian pound. The British ha'penny coin circulated under the French name of sou in Francophone Lower Canada. As 240 pence make a pound, 15 pence were equal to one fourth of a dollar, i.e. thirty ha'pennies or sous.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /tʁɑ̃t su/
  • Audio (Quebec):(file)

Noun

trente sous m (plural trente sous)

  1. (Canada) quarter (coin worth twenty-five cents)
    As-tu un trente sous, pour faire pile ou face?
    Do you have a quarter to flip?
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