in antiquity, a very small brafs coin in use among the Romans.

The inconvenience of such very small pieces being soon found, the teruncus became diffused, but its name is still retained in reckoning, and thus it became a money of account. The teruncus at first was a quarter of the as, or libra; hence, as the as contained twelve ounces, the teruncus contained three, whence the name, which is formed of the Latin tres unciae. Teruncus was also used for the quarter of the denarius; so that when the denarius was at ten ases, the teruncus was worth two and a half; and when the denarius was risen to sixteen, the teruncus was worth four. See DENARIUS.