1. The most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
   "we tried to collect the shekels he owed us";
   - money, coin [US, informal], boodle [informal], bread [informal], cabbage [US, informal], clams [US, informal], dinero [N. Amer, informal], dough [informal], gelt [informal], kale [US, informal], lettuce [US, informal], lolly [Brit, informal], lucre [informal], loot [informal], moolah [N. Amer, informal], pelf [archaic, informal], scratch [informal], simoleons [US, informal], sugar [informal], wampum [N. Amer, informal], wonga [Brit, informal], moola [N. Amer, informal], brass [Brit, informal], dibs [archaic, informal], spondulix [Brit, informal], spondulicks [Brit, informal], mazuma [US, informal], dosh [Brit, informal]

1. The basic unit of money in Israel
   "The price of falafel has risen to several shekels"
    
2. (historical) an ancient unit of weight and currency used in the Middle East
   "Ancient texts mention payments in shekels of silver"

Type of: Israeli monetary unit, medium of exchange, monetary system

Part of: money supply

Encyclopedia: Shekels