formerly the basic monetary unit of Portugal; equal to 100 centavo
the basic unit of money on Cape Verde; equal to 100 centavos
The state currency formerly used in Portugal, divided into 100 centavos. The symbol is $ which is positioned between the escudos & centavos, 2$50.
The word comes from the Portuguese escudo, which means "shield." It is a doublet of English words like scutum and scute.