Dollar Sign ($)

• Post Eagle
• March 1, 2018
• Word Etymology
• 0 Comments

Do you know the origin of the $ sign?

When America selected its symbol it decided to super-impose the letter ‘U’ over the ‘S’ for the United States. The curve on the bottom of the ‘U’ gradually wore off and symbol then looked like an ‘S’ with 2 sticks through it. And so it stayed as the sign of the dollar.

The word – D0LLAR – comes from German – TALER – a shortened form of the word – JOACHIMSTALER – after a town in northeastern Czechoslovakia where similar coins were minted.