Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CUR'REN-CY, n. [See Current.]

1. Literally, a flowing, running or passing; a continued or uninterrupted course like that of a stream; as, the currency of time. – Ayliffe.
2. A continued course in public opinion, belief, or reception; a passing from person to person, or from age to age; as, a report has had a long or general currency. – Johnson.
3. A continual passing from hand to hand, as coin or bills of credit; circulation; as, the currency of cents, or of English crowns; the currency of bank bills or of treasury notes.
4. Fluency; readiness of utterance; but in this sense we generally use fluency.
5. General estimation; the rate at which any thing is generally valued. He takes greatness of kingdoms according to their bulk and currency, and not after intrinsic value. – Bacon.
6. That which is current or in circulation, as a medium of trade. The word may be applied to coins, or to bills issued by authority. It is often applied to bank notes, and to notes issued by Government. – Crawford.