Cent vs. centesimo
The Italian words cent and centesimo both refer to a small unit of currency, but they have subtle differences in usage and context.
Cent
A1Cent is a loanword from English, used informally in Italian to refer to euro cents.
Ho solo cinquanta cent in tasca.
(I only have fifty cents in my pocket.)
Questo articolo costa novantanove cent.
(This item costs ninety-nine cents.)
Centesimo
A2Centesimo is the official Italian term for a hundredth part of the main currency unit, whether it's euro or historical currencies.
Un euro è composto da cento centesimi.
(One euro consists of one hundred cents.)
Prima dell'euro, c'erano i centesimi di lira.
(Before the euro, there were lira cents.)
Summary
While cent is an informal, borrowed term used mainly for euro cents, centesimo is the formal Italian word for the smallest currency unit. Centesimo is more versatile, applying to both current and historical currencies, whereas cent is typically used in everyday speech about euro cents.