marco
nounEtymology From Portuguese and Spanish marco, from Medieval Latin marcus, of Germanic origin, from Frankish *mark, from Proto-Germanic *marką (“mark, sign”). Compare Middle High German marc (“half-pound”), which likely influenced the Romance development. See also Old English marc, Old Norse mǫrk.
1
Historical A traditional Spanish and Portuguese unit of mass, usually equivalent to 230 g and particularly used for trade in gold and silver.
- Synonyms
- Spanish mark, mark, half-pound, Portuguese mark
- Coordinate terms
- onza (1⁄8 marco), cuarteron (1⁄2 marco), libra (2 marcos), oitava (1⁄48 marco), onça (1⁄8 marco), quarta (1⁄2 marco), libra, arratel (2 marcos)