A monetary unit and former currency of Macau, worth one hundredth of a pataca; also the plural of avo.
From Portuguese, derived from the name of the avocado fruit (which in Portuguese is 'abacate'). The currency was named after the avocado, though the etymological connection is now obscure and disputed among numismatists.
Macau's currency tells a story of Portuguese colonization—the avo connected this Asian territory to Europe for centuries. Now that Macau uses the Chinese yuan, the avo is a collector's item that preserves a fascinating moment when colonial trade networks shaped even the smallest units of money.
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