What does “lei” mean in Romanian?

In Romania prices come in lei, the national currency, and the word literally means “lions.” Lei is the plural of leu, “lion” — so 100 de lei is, word for word, “100 lions.” You’ll see the singular on price tags too: 1 leu. Once you hear money as “lions,” every Romanian price, from 70 de lei to 100 de lei, is easy to lock in.

The lion isn’t decorative. In the 1600s, Dutch silver coins stamped with a lion — the leeuwendaalder, or “lion thaler” — circulated widely in the Romanian lands and were nicknamed lei, “lions.” The name stuck as a generic word for money and became the official currency in 1880. The same coin gave Moldova its leu and Bulgaria its lev. In this clip a Valentine’s Day couples offer is priced “de la 100 de lei... la 70 de lei” — a natural spot to anchor the word to a real price.