drakhme

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek δρᾰχμή (drakhmḗ).

Noun

drakhme (plural drakhmai)

1. Alternative form of drachma.
   • 1974, K[enneth] J[ames] Dover, Greek Popular Morality in the Time of Plato and Aristotle, Berkeley, Calif., Los Angeles, Calif.: University of California Press, →ISBN, page 35:

     It is a singular fact that payment for attending the assembly, by contrast with payment for jury-service, did rise during the fourth century: beginning at one sixth of a drakhme after the democratic restoration of 403, it was soon raised to half a drakhme, and by the 320’s it stood at one and a half drakhmai for each ‘principal’ meeting and one drakhme for each of the rest.

   • 1988, R. K. Sinclair, Democracy and Participation in Athens, Cambridge, Cambs.: Cambridge University Press, published 1989, →ISBN, page 30:

     The building accounts of the Erekhtheion (409/8 and 408/7) show 1 drakhme a day as the usual wage irrespective of whether the workman was metic, slave or citizen, while in the Eleusinian accounts (329/8) unskilled labourers are recorded as receiving 1½ drakhmai a day and semi-skilled and skilled workers 2 or 2½ drakhmai.

   • 1990, G[reg] R. Stanton, Athenian Politics, c. 800–500 bc: A Sourcebook, London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, published 2005, →ISBN, page 61:

     For under his administration the measures were made larger than those of Pheidon; and the mina which previously had a weight of 70 drakhmai was advanced to the full 100. (The standard coin in early times was the 2-drakhme piece.)