céntimo

The céntimo (in Spanish-speaking countries) or cêntimo (in Portuguese-speaking countries) was a currency unit of Spain, Portugal and their former colonies. The word derived from the Latin centimus meaning "hundredth part". The main Spanish currency (pre-euro) was the peseta which was divided into 100 céntimos. In Portugal it was the real and later the escudo until it was also replaced by the euro. In Spanish, céntimo is the common way of describing the euro cent.