Where does “dollar” come from?
Dollar comes from Dutch daalder, formed from Dutch dal with the agent suffix Dutch -er, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰol- and wer-.
dollar (English): Official designation for currency in some parts...
Definitions
- Official designation for currency in some parts...
Ancestry of “dollar”, step by step
dollar traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch daler
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | daler | One who descends, one who goes down; Superseded... |
| 2 | German | taler | taler (former unit of currency) |
| 3 | German | Joachimsthaler | Native or inhabitant of Joachimsthal |
| 4 | German | Sankt Joachimsthal | St. Joachim's Valley |
| 5 | German | Sankt | Saint: title given to a saint |
| 6 | Latin | sānctus | sacred, made inviolable, having been established as sacred |
| 7 | Latin | Iacobus | Jacob; James; Saint James |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | Ἰάκωβος | — |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | Ἰακώβ | Jacob |
| 10 | Hebrew | יַעֲקֹב | Jacob |
| 11 | Hebrew | עָקֵב | heel of the foot; heel |
via German Taler
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Taler | taler (former unit of currency) |
| 2 | German | Sankt Joachimsthaler | a native or inhabitant of Jáchymov (Sankt Joachimsthal) |
| 3 | German | -er | Forms agent nouns etc. from verbs, suffixed to... |
| 4 | Old High German | -āri | used to form agent nouns |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -ārī | -er |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ārijaz | -er |
| 7 | Latin | -ārius | er |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | *-āzios | Forms relational adjectives to nouns (and rarely numerals) |