Rigsdaler

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historical currency used in Denmark and Norway, representing a monetary unit that was subdivided into smaller denominations
2. An erstwhile form of money that facilitated trade and commerce in Scandinavian regions, typically issued by the state
3. A type of coin that played a significant role in the economic history of Denmark and Norway, recognized as a measure of value

Etymology: The rigsdaler was the standard silver coin of Denmark and Norway for nearly two centuries, and its name is a compound of two German-derived elements: "rigs", meaning "realm" or "kingdom" (from Danish "rige"), and "daler", the Scandinavian form of "thaler". That second part traces back to the Joachimsthal silver mines in Bohemia, where coins struck from the 1520s bore the valley's name, becoming "Joachimsthaler" and later shortened to "thaler". The name spread across northern Europe, and the Danish and Norwegian versions kept it in the form "daler." The rigsdaler was introduced in Denmark in 1854, replacing the earlier riksdaler, and was subdivided into 96 skilling. It was also used in Norway, where it was the monetary unit until the krone replaced it in 1875. The rigsdaler was itself a rebranded silver unit, so the word carried the "kingdom" sense of "rige" into the currency, a pattern that made the name a symbol of royal authority over the coinage.

Synonyms: daler, rigsdaler specie, currency, coin, money