/pay"soh/ ; Sp. /pe"saw/ , n. , pl. pesos /-sohz/ ; Sp. /-saws/ .
1. a coin and monetary unit of Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Mexico, and the Philippines, equal to 100 centavos.
2. a coin and monetary unit of Uruguay, equal to 100 centesimos.
3. a former monetary unit of Argentina, equal to 100 centavos: replaced by the austral in 1985.
4. a former silver coin of Spain and Spanish America, equal to eight reals; dollar; piece of eight; piaster.
[ pensum something weighed, n. use of neut. of pensus, ptp. of pendere to weigh ]