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drach·ma

(drăkmə)

n. pl. drach·mas or drach·mae (-mē)

1. The primary unit of currency in Greece before the adoption of the euro.

2. An ancient Greek silver coin.

3. One of several modern units of weight, especially the dram.

[Latin, from Greek drakhmē, handful, a handful or bundle of six obols such as could be held in the fist (since the early Greek obol had the shape of a long, slender rod), from drassesthai, drakh-, to grasp.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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