What is a Dollar?

The dollar, symbolized by $, is a widely used currency across over twenty countries, including the USA, Canada, and Australia. Discover its origins, history, and global exchange rates, along with a breakdown of various dollar denominations used worldwide. Learn more about this essential unit of currency!

What is a Dollar? Meaning, Definition!

Dollar (often represented by the dollar sign $) is the name of more than twenty currencies, including (ordered by population) those of the United States, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Liberia, Jamaica, and Namibia.

The U.S. dollar is the official currency of East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau, the Caribbean Netherlands, and for banknotes, Panama. Generally, one dollar is divided into one hundred cents. The Currency is a system of money in general use in a particular country. What is a Rupee? Now, you learn What is a Dollar?

“The history of the dollar. For the symbol “$”, see the Dollar sign. The Slovenian philosopher, see Mladen Dolar. The municipality in Spain, see Dólar.”

Exchange Currency in US currency

One US Dollar ($1) Rated to Others Country:

1. 1.38 Australian Dollar
2. 1.00 Bahamian Dollar
3. 2.00 Barbadian Dollar
4. 2.01 Belize Dollar
5. 1.00 Bermudan Dollar
6. 1.44 Brunei Dollar
7. 1.34 Canadian Dollar
8. 0.82 Cayman Islands Dollar
9. 2.70 East Caribbean Dollar
10. 2.13 Fijian Dollar
11. 207.21 Guyanaese Dollar
12. 7.76 Hong Kong Dollar
13. 128.80 Jamaican Dollar
14. 91.00 Liberian Dollar
15. 13.96 Namibian Dollar
16. 32.01 New Taiwan Dollar
17. 1.44 New Zealand Dollar
18. 1.44 Singapore Dollar
19. 7.39 Surinamese Dollar
20. 6.75 Trinidad & Tobago Dollar

History of Dollar

On 15 January 1520, the Czech Kingdom of Bohemia began minting coins from silver mined locally in Joachimsthal (Czech Jáchymov) and marked on the reverse with the Czech lion. The coins were called Joachim’s thaler, which became shortened in common usage to thaler or taler. The German name “Joachimsthal” literally means “Joachim’s valley” or “Joachim’s dale”.

This name found its way into other languages: Czech tolar, Hungarian tallér, Danish and Norwegian (rigs) daler, Swedish (riks)daler, Icelandic dalur, Dutch (rijks)daalder or daler, Ethiopian ታላሪ (“talari”), Italian tallero, Polish talar, Persian dare, as well as – via Dutch – into English as dollar.

A later Dutch coin depicting also a lion was called the leeuwen daler or leeuwen daalder, literally ‘lion daler’. The Dutch Republic produced these coins to accommodate its booming international trade. The leeuwen daler circulated throughout the Middle East and was imitated in several German and Italian cities.

This coin was also popular in the Dutch East Indies and in the Dutch New Netherland Colony (New York). It was in circulation throughout the Thirteen Colonies during the 17th and early 18th centuries and was popularly known as “lion (or lyon) dollar”.

The currencies of Romania and Bulgaria are, to this day, ‘lion’ (leu/leva). The modern American-English pronunciation of dollar is still remarkably close to the 17th-century Dutch pronunciation of daler. Some well-worn examples circulating in the Colonies were known as “dog dollars”.

Spanish pesos – having the same weight and shape – came to be known as Spanish dollars. By the mid-18th century, the lion dollar had been replaced by Spanish dollar, the famous “pieces of eight”, which were distributed widely in the Spanish colonies in the New World and in the Philippines.

Types of Dollar with Countries Bases

Note: All Countries Dollar exchange rate, 21 December 2016.