Centesimi

Centesimi, the plural of centesimo, is a term used in Italian to denote the hundredth part of a basic monetary unit. The word comes from Latin centesimus, meaning “one hundredth.” It has been used historically in Italy to refer to fractional currency.

Historically, the Italian lira was subdivided into 100 centesimi. Coins were issued in denominations such as 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 centesimi, serving as the small-change unit alongside higher denominations in lire. Centesimi functioned as the everyday fractional currency, with prices and payments often expressed to the nearest centesimo.

With the introduction of the euro, centesimi became the hundredth part of a euro. One euro equals 100 centesimi. Euro coins commonly circulated include 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 centesimi, as well as 1 and 2 euro coins. In Italian, the denomination is frequently described as centesimi di euro, while the singular centesimo is used for the one-hundredth unit in general language.

Usage and terminology: In Italian financial language, centesimi remain a familiar way to refer to fractional parts of currency. In everyday speech, people often say “centesimi” when discussing amounts in euros, even though in formal contexts the international term cent is also used.

See also: Currency of Italy; Euro; Lira.