The Collaborative International Dictionary
Milreis \Mil"reis`\, n. [Pg. mil reis, i. e., one thousand reis; mil a thousand + reis, pl. of real a rei.] A Portuguese money of account rated in the treasury department of the United States at one dollar and eight cents; also, a Brazilian money of account rated at fifty-four cents and six mills (1913).
Wiktionary
n. 1 A former currency of Portugal. 2 A former currency of Brazil.
Wikipedia
The mil-réis (literally one thousand réis) was effectively a unit of currency in both Portugal (until 1911) and Brazil (until 1942).
The usage of 'mil-réis as a word dates back to the economic crises of the 19th century, when the currency was devalued for the first time and most prices reached the thousands.
It was replaced in 1911 by the escudo in Portugal [one escudo (1$000)= one thousand réis] and in 1942 by the cruzeiro in Brazil. By the time it was replaced by cruzeiro in Brazil, one mil-réis (1$000) was worth a dozen loaves of bread.
Category:Currencies of Portugal Category:Currencies of Brazil
Usage examples of "milreis".
But, I repeated, I would pay one thousand milreis for a butterfly exactly like the picture.
I will buy five of each different kind you can discover, and I will pay one milreis apiece.
As far as we can understand what the milreis did, it seems to have risen upwards, fallen down, lain flat, tried to get up, failed, raised itself again and then flopped.
Our experts are not prepared to give any opinion as to what the milreis will do next.
Brazilian gold coin called a milreis, worth about fifty-four cents in American money.