hacksilver means silver objects that have been cut up or otherwise defaced and circulated as currency, especially in archaeological contexts. It carries an Arena rating of 1321, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, hacksilver ranks #67 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #1,012 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #1,155 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #2,266 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
Why “hacksilver” is a great word
Hacksilver is fragmented currency consisting of deliberately cut or hacked pieces of silver jewelry, plate, or ornament, valued purely by weight and metal content. The term is a partial calque of German Hacksilber, from hacken ("to chop, hack") and Silber ("silver"). Unlike "bullion," which implies refined metal in standardized bars, or "coinage," which bears the stamp of sovereign authority, hacksilver is a raw, pragmatic money of last resort. It is the jagged edge of a severed torc, the twisted remnant of a liturgical chalice, the dull gleam of a hacked brooch in a merchant's pan—beauty fractured for the brute arithmetic of weight and want.
Etymology
Partial calque of German Hacksilber.
noun
- Silver objects that have been cut up or otherwise defaced and circulated as currency, especially in archaeological contexts.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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