Joachimsthaler
/ˌjoʊ.əˈkɪmzˌtɑː.lɚ/noun
An early silver coin from the Bohemian town of Joachimsthal, later shortened to thaler and influential in the history of the dollar.
Did you know?Joachimsthaler comes from Joachimsthal, literally “Joachim’s valley,” and the coin’s shortened name, thaler, became the ancestor of the word dollar.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
German
Joachimsthaler
“A silver coin minted in the valley of Saint Joachim in Bohemia”
16th Century
German
Joachimsthal
““Joachim’s valley,” the place name where the coin was minted”
Greek/Hebrew Antiquity
Hebrew
Yōḥāqīm
“The personal name Joachim, meaning “Yahweh raises up””
16th Century
German
Thaler
“A shortened form meaning a coin from a valley; later a major silver coin”
17th-18th Century
Dutch/English
Daalder / dollar
“A coin name ultimately derived from thaler and spread into English as dollar”