Picayune
Encyclopedia
A picayune was a Spanish
coin
, worth half a real
. Its name derives from the French
picaillon, which is itself from the Provençal
picaioun, meaning "small coin." By extension, picayune can mean "trivial" or "of little value."
Aside from being used in Spanish territories, the picayune and other Spanish currency was used throughout colonial America. Spanish dollar
s were made legal tender
in the United States by an act on February 9, 1793 until it was demonetized on February 21, 1857. The coin's name first appeared in Florida
and Louisiana
where its value was worth approximately six and a quarter cents, and whose name was sometimes used in place of the U.S. nickel.
A daily newspaper published in the New Orleans market, the Times-Picayune, is named after the picayune.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
, worth half a real
Spanish real
The real was a unit of currency in Spain for several centuries after the mid-14th century, but changed in value relative to other units introduced...
. Its name derives from the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
picaillon, which is itself from the Provençal
Provençal language
Provençal is a dialect of Occitan spoken by a minority of people in southern France, mostly in Provence. In the English-speaking world, "Provençal" is often used to refer to all dialects of Occitan, but it actually refers specifically to the dialect spoken in Provence."Provençal" is also the...
picaioun, meaning "small coin." By extension, picayune can mean "trivial" or "of little value."
Aside from being used in Spanish territories, the picayune and other Spanish currency was used throughout colonial America. Spanish dollar
Spanish dollar
The Spanish dollar is a silver coin, of approximately 38 mm diameter, worth eight reales, that was minted in the Spanish Empire after a Spanish currency reform in 1497. Its purpose was to correspond to the German thaler...
s were made legal tender
Legal tender
Legal tender is a medium of payment allowed by law or recognized by a legal system to be valid for meeting a financial obligation. Paper currency is a common form of legal tender in many countries....
in the United States by an act on February 9, 1793 until it was demonetized on February 21, 1857. The coin's name first appeared in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
where its value was worth approximately six and a quarter cents, and whose name was sometimes used in place of the U.S. nickel.
A daily newspaper published in the New Orleans market, the Times-Picayune, is named after the picayune.