Daler

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historical silver coin formerly used in several European countries and also a unit of currency in Scandinavia, additionally a surname found in some cultures
2. An old form of currency once prevalent in parts of Europe, especially Scandinavia; refers to an obsolete coin of silver; also recognized as a family name in certain regions
3. A type of monetary unit from earlier European history, typically made of silver and circulated in Scandinavia, and used as a last name in various traditions

Etymology: The name comes from a place. Silver mined in Joachimsthal, a valley in the Erzgebirge hills of Bohemia, was struck into large coins called "Joachimsthaler," or "Joachim's valley" coins. In everyday German the name was shortened to "Taler," and the coin spread across Europe. The northern form, "daler," came from Low German and Dutch, and Scandinavian countries adopted it for their own silver coins. Swedish and Danish "daler" thus descend from the same German word. English borrowed the same word, through Dutch, as "dollar." The two words are doublets, both descended from "Taler," and "dollar" kept the coin's silver associations as it became the name of money in the Americas.

Synonyms: thaler, dollar, taler