† ˈcardecu Obs.
Also 7 cardicue, -akew, -ecue, -ekue, -eque, -ecew, -escue.
[a. F. quart d'écu quarter of an écu (usually englished ‘crown’).]
An old French silver coin, worth 1/4 of the gold écu, or 15 sous tournois.
In 1580, when the silver quart d'écu was first struck, the value of the gold écu is said to have been about 8/6 (see Larousse s.v. Ecu), whence the cardecu would be worth about 2/1½ by a gold standard. English writers of 17th c. make it = about 1/6.
| 1605 Tryall Chev. iii. i. in Bullen O. Pl. (1884) III. 305 There's a Cardicue to wash downe melancholy. 1606 Chapman Mons. D'Olive Plays (1873) I. 202, I could neuer yet finger one Cardicue of her bountie. 1611 Coryat Crudities 69, I compounded with them for a cardakew. 1662 Fuller Worthies i. 95 In the Court of France, the Kings Jester moved to have..a Cardescue of every one who carried a Watch about him, and cared not how he employed his Time. 1727 W. Mather Yng. Man's Comp. 236 Silver..Old Cardecus..value 1s. 6d. 1 farthing. 1819 Scott Ivanhoe xxxii, The bunch of them were not worth a cardecu. |