European Currency Unit: a former unit of currency based on the composite value of several different currencies in the European Union and functioning as both the reserve asset and the accounting unit of the European Monetary System; replaced by the euro in 1999
écu in British English
(eɪˈkjuː, French eky)
noun
1.
any of various former French gold or silver coins
2.
a small shield
Word origin
C18: from Old French escu, from Latin scūtum shield
ECU in American English
(eɪˈku; ˌ iˌsiˈju) or ecu (eɪˈku; ˌ iˌsiˈju)
noun
a money of account of the European Community through 1998
see also euro
Word origin
< E(uropean) C(urrency) U(nit)
écu in American English
(eɪˈky)
French
nounWord forms: plural French éˈcus (eɪˈky)
any of various French silver or gold coins, esp. a silver crown of the 17th-18th cent.