banknote
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banknote
An official means of payment made of paper or a paper-like material that has a specific face value. It is also referred to as a banknote.
Er bezahlte den Einkauf mit einem Fünfzig-Euro-Schein.
He paid for the shopping with a fifty-euro note.
The word is composed of 'Geld' (money) and 'Schein' (note/bill). In this context, 'Schein' means 'note' or 'piece of paper', so a 'Geldschein' is literally a “money paper.”
Er zog einen zerknitterten Geldschein aus seiner Hosentasche.
He pulled a crumpled banknote out of his trouser pocket.
To indicate the value of a note, a fixed construction is used: 'ein [Zahl]-Euro-Schein' (a [number]-euro note). Note that the number and 'Euro' are joined into one word in German.
Kannst du mir einen Zwanzig-Euro-Schein wechseln?
Can you change a twenty-euro note for me?
Common verbs used with 'Geldschein' (banknote) include 'einen Geldschein wechseln' (to change a banknote), 'einen Geldschein aus dem Automaten ziehen' (to withdraw a banknote from the machine), or 'mit einem Geldschein bezahlen' (to pay with a banknote).
Der Automat gibt nur neue Geldscheine aus.
The machine only dispenses new banknotes.
grade / note
Both Note and Geldschein can refer to a paper means of payment. Geldschein is the usual modern word for this. In this sense, Note is more common in technical, older, or specialized financial contexts. In everyday conversation about cash, Geldschein is therefore usually the better choice.
An der Kasse bezahlte sie mit einem Zehn-Euro-Geldschein.
She paid at the checkout with a ten-euro banknote.
Der Sammler bewahrte eine seltene Note aus dem neunzehnten Jahrhundert auf.
The collector kept a rare banknote from the nineteenth century.
