Etymology

dollar

dol·lar
D2O1L1L1A1R1

Today it means: Official designation for currency in some parts of the world, including Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and elsewhere. Its symbol is $. Full definition →

Dutch daler ← Middle Low German dāler ← German Taler
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dollar · noun1

  1. Proto-Germanic*dalą
  2. Proto-West Germanic*dal
  3. Old High Germantal
  4. Middle High Germantal
  5. GermanTal
  6. GermanTaler
  7. Middle Low Germandāler
  8. Dutchdaler
  9. English todaydollar

Attested since the mid-16th century, from early Dutch daler, daalder, from German Taler, Thaler (“dollar”), earlier Joachimsthaler, literally “of Joachimstal”, the town where the original dollars were minted. The name means “(Saint) Joachim's valley”, from Joachim + Tal. Possibly reinforced by the Dutch leeuwendaalder, which was also used in the American colonies. Doublet of taler /thaler and tolar.

Dollar · proper noun2

  1. Scottish Gaelic · derived fromDolair
  2. English todayDollar

From Scottish Gaelic Dolair (in Scotland).

Words from the same roots

GermanTaler all →

tolartaler

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.