Meaning

noun the basic unit of money in China

noun the imperial dynasty of China from 1279 to 1368

originFrom Mandarin 元 (yuán), from 圓／圆 (yuán, “circle > round coin”) referring to the piece of eight. Compare Japanese 円(えん) (en), Korean 원(圓) (won). Doublet of yen and won.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0