de·mon·e·tize (dē-mŏn'ĭ-tīz', -mŭn'-)
tr.v., -tized, -tiz·ing, -tiz·es.

1. To divest (a coin, for example) of monetary value.
2. To stop using (a metal) as a monetary standard.

[French démonétiser : dé-, away from (from Old French de-; see de-) + Latin monēta, coin; see money.]

demonetization de·mon'e·ti·za'tion (-tĭ-zā'shən) n.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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