# rupee

Pronunciation: say "roo-PEE" US /ɹuˈpi/, UK /ˌɹuːˈpiː/; AUS say "ROO-pee"

## Noun

1. The basic unit of money used in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and several other South Asian and Indian Ocean nations.
   - Simple: The money used in countries such as India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
   - _The shopkeeper handed back a few rupees in change after the sale._
   - _Inflation pushed the price of fuel up by another rupee overnight._
2. A silver coin that circulated in India between the 16th and 20th centuries, weighing one tola, roughly 170 to 180 troy grains.
   - Simple: A silver coin used long ago in India, from about the 1500s to the 1900s.
   - _The merchant weighed every rupee carefully before accepting it as payment._
   - _Soldiers were paid in silver rupees minted at the regional treasury._
3. The main currency used throughout the fictional kingdom of Hyrule, spent on equipment, items, and services.
   - Simple: The money that players collect and spend in the land of Hyrule.
   - _A green rupee was worth the least, while the silver ones were rare finds._
   - _Players hoard rupees to buy upgrades from the village shops._

## Origin

The word was coined by Sher Shah Suri, Sultan of the Suri Empire (1540–1545), as Hindustani rūpīya, a variant of rupaya ("rupee"). This came from Sanskrit rūpyaka ("silver coin"), from rūpya ("stamped coin; wrought gold or silver"). It is a doublet of rufiyaa and rupiah.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/rupee (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).