baht
|baht|
/bɑːt/
Thai monetary unit
Etymology
'baht' originates from Thai, specifically the word 'บาท' (baht), where it originally referred to a weight or a silver/gold bar.
'baht' was a Thai/Malay weight-term (related Malay forms such as 'bat') used for precious metals and was later adopted as the name of the modern currency; English borrowed the Thai term as 'baht'.
Initially it meant 'a unit of weight or a silver/gold bar', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'the monetary unit of Thailand'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the basic monetary unit of Thailand, equal to 100 satang; often used unchanged in the plural (currency code: THB).
I exchanged dollars for baht before my trip to Bangkok.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a former Thai unit of weight (originally used for precious metals), approximately 15.244 grams.
Old ledgers recorded the gold in baht rather than grams.
Last updated: 2026/01/01 02:42