dollar

Where does the word "dollar" come from? It comes from German Joachimsthaler, passing through Dutch before entering English (1790s).

Dollar’s story begins in German: Joachimsthaler meant “coin from Joachim's valley.” A silver coin minted from 1519 in Joachimsthal ('Joachim's valley') in Bohemia. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Dutch as daler. The shortened 'thaler' spread across Europe; the Dutch 'leeuwendaler' circulated widely in colonial America. It reached English by 1790s as dollar. Spanish 'pieces of eight', called dollars, circulated widely in the American colonies. Today, dollar means the basic currency unit of the US and several other countries.

1. Stage 1 · German · 1500s Joachimsthaler "coin from Joachim's valley", a silver coin minted from 1519 in Joachimsthal ('Joachim's valley') in Bohemia.
2. Stage 2 · Dutch · 1500s daler "silver coin", the shortened 'thaler' spread across Europe; the Dutch 'leeuwendaler' circulated widely in colonial America.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1790s dollar "US currency", Spanish 'pieces of eight', called dollars, circulated widely in the American colonies.