# shekel

Pronunciation: say "SHEK-uhl" /ˈʃɛkəl/

## Noun

1. A unit of currency used in both ancient Israel and the modern Israeli state.
   - Simple: The unit of money used in Israel, both today and in ancient times.
   - _The merchant priced each scarf at forty shekels._
   - _He kept a single shekel as a souvenir from his trip to Jerusalem._
2. Money in general, treated casually. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Money, especially cash you earn or spend.
   - _They're making serious shekels off that app._
   - _Every shekel counts when you're saving for a house._
3. A unit of weight in ancient times, equal to one-fiftieth of a mina.
   - Simple: An old unit of weight, used long ago, equal to one-fiftieth of a larger unit called a mina.
   - _The contract recorded a debt of thirty shekels of silver._
   - _Each shekel of barley was carefully weighed before the sale._

## Origin

From Hebrew שֶׁקֶל (shékel), derived from שָׁקַל (shakál, "to weigh"), which in turn traces back to Akkadian šiqlum.

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