Tag: cent

In many national currencies, the cent is a monetary unit that equals ⁄100 of the basic monetary unit. Etymologically, the word cent derives from the Latin word “centum” meaning hundred. Cent also refers to a coin which is worth one cent.
In the United States and Canada, the 1¢ coin is generally known by the nickname penny, alluding to the British coin and unit of that name. In Ireland the 1c coin is also sometimes known as a penny in reference to the Irish penny, worth ⁄100 of the Irish pound replaced by the euro in 2002.
A cent is commonly represented by the cent sign, a lower-case letter “c” pierced top to bottom by a forward slash or a vertical line: ¢; or a simple “c”, depending on the currency (see below). Cent amounts between 1 cent and 99 cents can be represented as one or two digits followed by the appropriate abbreviation (2¢, 5¢, 75¢, 99¢), or as a subdivision of the base unit ($0.99).
The cent sign has not survived the changeover from typewriters to computer keyboards …