Language and the euro it is actually written on the euro notes in Greek as . Also, the spelling (resulting in a plural ) on the notes could have confused other Europeans, who might read it as a string of Latin letters: "eypo". A plural form "evra", as if from a regular declinable neuter noun in "-o", is sometimes used in a jocular way. For the cent, the terms used in Greece are , plural ("leptó", plural "leptá"), a name used for small denominations of various ancient and modern Greek currencies, including the drachma (which the euro replaced). The word means 'minute' (literally "thin"),
History of the euro midnight on 1 January 1999, when the national currencies of participating countries (the eurozone) ceased to exist independently in that their exchange rates were locked at fixed rates against each other, effectively making them mere non-decimal subdivisions of the euro. The euro thus became the successor to the European Currency Unit (ECU). The notes and coins for the old currencies, however, continued to be used as legal tender until new notes and coins were introduced on 1 January 2002 (having been distributed in small amounts in the previous December). Beginning on 1 January 1999, all bonds and other forms of