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From: sarima@netcom.com (Stanley Friesen)
Subject: Re: The origin of "$", the dollar sign?
Message-ID: <sarimaD4JLtx.B8J@netcom.com>
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References: <3i9d9f$q08@pipe2.pipeline.com> <lmbarrio.60.2F4849D7@omni.voicenet.com> <1995Feb23.122958.1964@relay.acadiau.ca> <lmbarrio.64.2F4D8362@omni.voicenet.com>
Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 06:25:09 GMT
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In article <lmbarrio.64.2F4D8362@omni.voicenet.com>,
Luis M. Garca-Barrio <lmbarrio@omni.voicenet.com> wrote:
>
>In claim no expertise whatsoever in German, but it is my understanding that 
>the word "dollar" is a corruption of the word Taler (or Thaler), a European 
>silver coin that circulated here at the same time the more popular "8 Reales" 
>piece was used in the NorthAmerican colonies.
>
That is correct.

Taler in German is short for Joachimstaler, which refers to the
locality where the silver for the coins was mined, a valley called
Joachimstal in the Bavarian Alps.

Joachimstal simply means Joachim's Valley, so a "dollar" is a "valley".
[I suspect that the English cognate is "dale" and/or "dell"]
-- 
NAMES: sarima@netcom.com swf@ElSegundoCA.attgis.com

May the peace of God be with you.

