Lepton

Lepton pl. lepta (Λεπτόν pl. Λεπτά) is the name of various fractional units of currency used in the Greek-speaking world from Antiquity until today.

The word means "small" or "thin", and during classical and hellenistic times a lepton was always a small value coin, usually the smallest available denomination of another currency. The Roman mite was informally called lepton in the Greek-speaking parts of the Roman Empire; this use is seen in the New Testament (the widow who put two lepta into the offering box).

In modern Greece, lepton (modern form: lepto, Λεπτό) is the name of the 1/100 denomination of all the official currencies of the Greek state: The phoenix (1827-1832), the drachma (1832-2001) and the euro (2002-current) - the name is used instead of the standard "euro cent." Its unofficial currency sign is Λ.

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