Kuruş

Kuruş (/kəˈruːʃ/ kə-ROOSH;[1] Turkish pronunciation: [kuˈɾuʃ]), also gurush, ersh, gersh, grush, grosha, and grosi,[2] are all names for currency denominations in and around the territories formerly part of the Ottoman Empire.

The variation in the name stems from the different languages it is used in (Arabic, Amharic, Turkish and Greek) and the different transcriptions into the Latin alphabet.

The Turkish word kuruş (Ottoman Turkish: قروش, kurûş); Greek: γρόσι, grosi; plural γρόσια, grosia) is derived from the French gros ("heavy"), which itself is derived from the Latin grossus ("thick").

It was initially a large silver piece (similar to the European thalers issued by the Ottomans), approximately equal to the French écu, or, from other sources, to the Spanish dollar.

The final coinage issued before the currency reform consisted of billon 1, 10 and 20 para, and silver 1+1⁄2, 3 and 6 kuruş.