1. a former monetary unit of Brazil
Usage: historical
2. a Portuguese gold coin used from the 15th to 17th centuries
Usage: historical

Examples

• The cruzado was replaced by the cruzeiro in Brazilian currency.
• Inflation made the cruzado nearly worthless by the late 1980s.
• Portuguese merchants traded with cruzados throughout their empire.
• The museum displayed ancient cruzado coins from the colonial period.
• Brazil’s economic plan introduced the cruzado to combat hyperinflation.