Daler
/ˈdɑːlər/noun
A historical silver coin or monetary unit, especially one used in Scandinavia and related to the German thaler.
Did you know?The daler’s ancestor was minted from silver mined near Joachimsthal, meaning “Joachim’s Valley,” and its name ultimately helped produce the word “dollar.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*dalą
“A valley or hollow between hills”
Middle High German
MHG
tal
“A valley”
Early 16th Century
German
Joachimsthal
“Joachim’s Valley, a mining district in Bohemia”
16th Century
German
Joachimsthaler
“A coin minted from silver associated with Joachimsthal”
16th–17th Century
German
Taler
“A shortened form of Joachimsthaler, referring to a large silver coin”
17th–19th Century
Scandinavian
daler
“A Scandinavian monetary unit modeled on the thaler”
Modern English
English
daler
“A historical coin or monetary unit; also a variant form of dollar”