An ancient Greek coin of small value, likely made of copper or bronze and used in everyday trade.
From Greek 'chalkos' (copper), the root word for all copper-related minerals and metals in English. The word directly references the material the coin was made from.
The word 'chalcus' reveals that ancient Greeks named their smallest coins after copper because that was the metal used for currency of minimal value—it's like how we say 'penny,' a name tied to its material history.
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