shekel

Definition

A currency unit of both ancient and modern Israel.

Etymology

From Hebrew שֶׁקֶל (shékel, “shekel”), from שָׁקַל (shakál, “to weigh”), from Akkadian 𒂅 (šiqlum).

Example Sentences

• "So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver."
• ""Beauty is naught to him, because there are lips more honey-sweet; and wealth is naught, because others can weigh him down with heavier shekels; and fame is naught, because there have been greater men than he.""
• "Her gownlet cost five hundred beans; / Her furs, four figures in a row; / Her hat removed from papa's jeans / A hundred shekels more or so."

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