‖ ˈseraphin Obs.
Forms: 6 seraffine, serafyne, seraphine, xeraphin, 7 serafin, seraffin, zeraphin, 8 seraphyn, xerapheen, 9 zeraphim.
[a. Pg. xerafim, xarafim, a. Arab. sharīfī, orig. the name of a gold coin. Cf. seraph2.]
A silver coin formerly current in India; for its value, see quot. 1727.
| 1582 N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Conq. E. Ind. 56 b, He must give him 600 Serafynes. 1584 R. Barret in Hakluyt's Voy. (1599) II. i. 273 There is also stamped in Ormuz a seraphine of gold, which is litle and round. 1588 Hickock tr. C. Frederick's Voy. 37, I lost my 800 Seraffines or duckets. a 1613 W. Hawkins in Purchas Pilgrims (1625) I. 217 Inprimis, of Seraffins Ecberi, which be ten Rupias a piece, there are sixtie Leckes. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 207 The Cruzado of Gold, 12 Zeraphins. 1704 Churchill's Collect. Voy. & Trav. III. 772/2 A Candil of Rice was sold..for 2500 Seraphyns, or Gilders. 1727 A. Hamilton New Acc. E. Ind. I. xxi. 249 Their Soldiers Pay [at Goa] is very small... They have but six Xerapheens per Month,..a Xerapheen is worth about sixteen Pence half Peny Ster. 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, Zeraphim, a former money of account of Goa, of 240 Portugese reis. |