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History vocabulary · Economic History

Debasement

Meaning in history, with examples

nounCommon term

In history, debasement means: A reduction in the precious-metal content of coinage while its stated monetary value is maintained.

In Turkish: tağşiş, madeni paranın değerli metal içeriğinin azaltılması

How it is used

Use for changes in coin standards; do not equate every price rise with debasement.

Example sentences

  1. Metal analysis confirmed debasement across successive coin issues.

    The evidence measures composition rather than prices alone.

  2. The historian compared debasement with changes in soldiers' purchasing power.

    Coin standards and living standards are related but separate questions.

Common collocations

  • coinage debasement
  • currency debasement
  • artifactAn object made or shaped by people, such as a tool, coin, weapon or piece of jewellery, especially one studied for what it reveals about the past.
  • mercantilismAn economic policy common in Europe from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century that tried to increase a state's wealth and power by exporting more than it imported and building up gold and silver.

More terms: Economic History

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