dollar

dollar
dollar (n.) 1550s, from Low Ger. daler, from Ger. taler (1530s, later thaler), abbreviation of Joachimstaler, lit. " (gulden) of Joachimstal," coin minted 1519 from silver from mine opened 1516 near Joachimstal, town in Erzgebirge Mountains in northwest Bohemia. German Tal is cognate with English DALE (Cf. dale).
The thaler was a large silver coin of varying value in the German states (and a unit of the German monetary union of 1857-73 equal to three marks); it also served as a currency unit in Denmark and Sweden. English colonists in America used the word in reference to Spanish pieces of eight. Continental Congress July 6, 1785, adopted dollar when it set up U.S. currency, on suggestion of Gouverneur Morris and Thomas Jefferson, because the term was widely known but not British. But none were circulated until 1794.
When William M. Evarts was Secretary of State he accompanied Lord Coleridge on an excursion to Mount Vernon. Coleridge remarked that he had heard it said that Washington, standing on the lawn, could throw a dollar clear across the Potomac. Mr. Evarts explained that a dollar would go further in those days than now. [Walsh]
The dollar sign ($) is said to derive from the image of the Pillars of Hercules, stamped with a scroll, on the Spanish piece of eight. Phrase dollars to doughnuts attested from 1890; dollar diplomacy is from 1910.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Dollar us — Dollar américain Unité monétaire moderne actuelle dollar américain Pays officiellement utilisateur(s) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • DOLLAR — Le dollar est l’unité monétaire des États Unis, mais aussi de plusieurs autres États (Australie, Nouvelle Zélande, Canada...). Ce qui frappe l’observateur, c’est évidemment la place que la devise américaine occupe sur la scène internationale.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • dollar — dol‧lar [ˈdɒlə ǁ ˈdɑːlər] written abbreviation dol. noun [countable] 1. FINANCE the name of the currency unit used in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and some other countries. The symbol for the dollar is $: •… …   Financial and business terms

  • Dollar — Dollar, seit 1792 in den Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika gesetzlich eingeführte, in 100 Cents geteilte Münzeinheit. Abkürzung (Zeichen) für dieselbe: $ Der Golddollar ist nach dem Gesetz von 1837 = 23,22 engl. Troygrains oder 1,505 g Feingold …   Lexikon der gesamten Technik

  • Dollar —    DOLLAR, a town and parish, in the county of Clackmannan; containing 1562 inhabitants, of whom 1131 are in the town, 7 miles (N. E.) from Alloa. This place, of which the name, in the Gaelic language, is descriptive either of a vale at the base… …   A Topographical dictionary of Scotland

  • dollar — dol lar, n. [D. daalder, LG. dahler, G. thaler, an abbreviation of Joachimsthaler, i. e., a piece of money first coined, about the year 1518, in the valley (G. thal) of St. Joachim, in Bohemia. See {Dale}.] 1. (a) A silver coin of the United… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Dollar — Dollar, eine nordamerikanische Silbermünze, ähnlich unserm Thaler, aber im Werthe von 1 Thlr. 9–10 Gr. Conv. M. Der Dollar hat 10 Dimes oder 100 Cents …   Damen Conversations Lexikon

  • Dollar — Dollar: Der Name der Währungseinheit (in den USA, in Kanada und Australien) wurde im 19. Jh. aus amerik. engl. dollar entlehnt, das selbst aus niederd. dāler (= nhd. ↑ Taler) stammt …   Das Herkunftswörterbuch

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