Have money on your mind? Ever wonder where the word 'dollar' comes from?
Hot for Words investigates "dollar."
It all started with a silver mine in a small town called Joachimsthal in the 1500s. They made silver coins called Joachimsthalers - what a mouthful! Soon locals shortened the term to "thalers" [pronounced taler, with a long "a"], which the Dutch morphed into "dalers." From there it's just a short leap over to "dollars," which the English used for all foreign coins. Then when America gained independence, they chose the word "dollar" for their money.
Now how's that for "coining a term"?
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