złoty

(zlôˈtē)

noun pl. zloty zloty or zlo·tys Word History: The ancient association between gold and money is reflected in złoty, the name for the basic unit of currency in Poland. In Polish złoty is a simple adjective meaning “golden” that derives from the neuter noun złoto, “gold.” This in turn comes from from a Common Slavic neuter noun *zolto, “gold.” The zol- in *zolto is a form of the Slavic root *zel-, “to shine, be bright,” from the Indo-European root *ghel-. By Grimm's Law, this became *gel- in Germanic, giving us eventually both Dutch gulden, “guilder” and English gold.