What is "pataca"

Pataca \Pa*ta"ca\, n. [Sp.] The Spanish dollar; -- called also patacoon. [Obs.]

n. 1 The monetary unit of Macau, equal to 100 avo. 2 A monetary unit used during the 16th century and 17th century in Malta in the form of a large copper coin. 3 A monetary unit of account used in Portuguese Timor intermittently between 1894 and 1958.

n. the basic unit of money in Macao

A pataca (or patacão) is a unit of currency, and an avo is of a pataca. Pataca is the Portuguese name for peso. The following articles contain more information (list may not contain all historical patacas):

• Macanese pataca
• Maltese pataca
• Portuguese Timorese pataca