A small silver coin used in ancient Rome that became the standard unit of currency, equivalent in value to ten asses.
From Latin denarius, from deni 'ten at a time,' from decem 'ten.' The coin was originally called denarius because it was valued at ten asses; it became Rome's primary currency and remained so for centuries.
The denarius is arguably one of the most historically important coins ever—it was so stable and widespread that Jesus' 'render unto Caesar' story uses the denarius as the symbol of Roman authority, and its name survives today in currencies like the Macedonian denar!
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