Editing Malaysian ringgit (section)

== Etymology ==
[[File:Philip V Coin silver, 8 Reales Mexico.jpg|left|thumb|18th-century [[Spanish dollar]] with milled edges (jagged or "beringgit")]]
The word ''ringgit'' is an obsolete term for "jagged" in the [[Malay language]]. The word was originally used to refer to serrated edges. The first European coins to circulate widely in the region were Spanish "[[pieces of eight]]" or "cob", their crude appearance resembling stones, hence the word jagged.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Eong |first=Sim Ewe |date=1974 |title=RINGGIT |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41511014 |journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society |volume=47 |issue=1 (225) |pages=58–65 |jstor=41511014 |issn=0126-7353}}</ref> The availability and circulation of this Spanish currency were due to the Spanish controlling nearby [[Philippines]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Eong|first=Sim Ewe|date=1974|title=RINGGIT|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41511014|journal=Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society|volume=47|issue=1 (225)|pages=58–65|jstor=41511014|issn=0126-7353}}</ref>

An early printed source, the ''Dictionary of the Malayan Language'' from 1812 had already referred to the ringgit as a unit of money.<ref name=":0" />

In modern usage, ''ringgit'' is used almost solely for the currency. Due to the common heritage of the three modern currencies, the [[Singapore dollar]] and the [[Brunei dollar]] are also called ''ringgit'' in Malay (currencies such as the [[US dollar|US]] and [[Australian dollar]]s are translated as ''dolar''), although nowadays the Singapore dollar is more commonly called ''dolar'' in Malay.<ref>[https://www.bharian.com.my/bisnes/lain-lain/2019/10/615696/dolar-singapura-berkemungkinan-bertambah-lemah Dolar Singapura berkemungkinan bertambah lemah] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930213933/https://www.bharian.com.my/bisnes/lain-lain/2019/10/615696/dolar-singapura-berkemungkinan-bertambah-lemah |date=30 September 2021 }}, ''[[Berita Harian]]'', October 9, 2019</ref> To differentiate between the three currencies, the Malaysian currency is referred to as ''Ringgit Malaysia'', hence the official abbreviation and currency symbol ''RM''. Internationally, the ISO 4217 currency code for Malaysian ringgit is ''MYR''.

The Malay names ''ringgit'' and ''sen'' were officially adopted as the sole official names on 28 August 1975.<ref>{{cite web |title=Significant milestones in the Malaysian Foreign Exchange Market |url=https://www.bnm.gov.my/significant-milestones-in-the-malaysian-foreign-exchange-market |publisher=[[Bank Negara Malaysia]]}}</ref> Previously they had been known officially as dollars and [[cent (currency)|cents]] in English and ringgit and sen in Malay, and in some parts of the country this usage continues. In the northern states of Peninsular Malaysia, denominations of 10 ''sen'' are called ''kupang'' in [[Kedah Malay language|Northern Malay]] and called ''pua̍t'' (鏺/鈸) in [[Penang Hokkien]] which is thought to be derived from the [[Thai language|Thai]] word ''[[baht]]''. e.g. 50 ''sen'' is ''lima kupang'' in Malay or 'samah' in the [[Kelantan-Pattani Malay|Kelantan dialect]] and ''gōo-pua̍t'' (五鏺/鈸) in Hokkien. The Tamil speaking communities in [[Malaysia]] use ''veḷḷi'' (வெள்ளி) meaning "silver" in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] to refer to ''ringgit'', while for ''sen'', the word ''kācu'' (காசு) is used, from which the [[English language|English]] word "cash" is derived.