Peso means 'weight.' The pound and the mark were also units of weight.
Before money, there was an age of scales.
Dollar, Yen, Bank—The Origin of Words
We will trace the path by which the names of weights, places, and tools became words for money.
Time to read the text: about 6 min
The review questions are optional and not included in this time.
What you can read: the course opening and contents are free; the full text is for those who have purchased
After purchase, you can read the full text once your access starts.
The Origin of Money Words in 3 Minutes
1See it
Swipe to see more
The word for bank comes from the long benches of money changers.
At the foot of the Rialto Bridge in Venice.
Bankruptcy means 'broken bench.' A money changer who couldn't pay had their bench broken.
It was a ritual among peers to remove them from the market.
16th century
The name of the thaler, a silver coin from a Bohemian valley, crossed the sea to become the dollar.
Names travel farther than money.
Spanish silver coins were called 'silver rounds' in China, which led to the yen and the yuan.
The names of the world's major currencies hold the memory of silver coins.
The character for 'shell' holds a memory from China. In Japan, shells were not used as money.
The character crossed the sea, but the history within it did not.
Kaigen meant a new era, and Jōhei meant stable prices. Names are vessels for wishes.
The Meiji yen came from its 'round shape.' What you call something is the first answer.
We can sort word origins onto three shelves: 'Confirmed,' 'Likely,' and 'Unverified.'
The origin of the dollar sign is 'likely,' but there are several theories.
2In numbers
3.75grams
The weight of one Kaigen Tsūhō coin. This became the origin of the 'monme' unit of weight.
3What would you do?
A friend says, 'The dollar sign $ came from a shorthand for peso.' How would you reply?
Pick one
'That settles it, then.'
The course materials put it a bit differently. The theory that it's a modified shorthand for 'peso' is a strong one, but there are other theories, so it's not settled.
'That's a likely theory, but there are others, too.'
This is the proper way to handle origins. When you take something from the shelf between 'Likely' and 'Confirmed,' you bring the uncertainty along with it.
Just by mentioning the shelf's name, a story about a word's origin changes from simple trivia into a historical citation.
4Read more
What you will understand after this course
- Can explain currency names derived from units of weight (Peso, Pound, Mark, Monme), including their lineage.
- Can explain the etymology of Banco → Bank and Banca rotta → bankruptcy.
- Can trace the journey of the names Thaler → Dollar and Silver Coin → Yen/Yuan.
More about this course
Course number: F4
Supervised by: Mitsuru Hayama
Beyond the text: 6 exercises · 2 coins · 5 readings How reading times are calculated
You will also understand
- Can practice the discipline of distinguishing between verified and unverified etymologies.
You can start this course without reading any other course.
If you want to know more about checking sources (optional)
- Is It Really True? Checking History
We re-examine the origins of money and famous anecdotes, comparing them with historical records and actual artifacts.
Assessment
6 exercises in this course (4 check, 1 compare, 1 written). Progress is recorded by self-assessment.
The 6 chapters of this course
- Fossils of Weight — Peso, Pound, Mark, MonmeMany major currency names were originally units of weight. Words carry the memory of an era of weighing.
- Fossils of the desk — Banco and Banca RottaA bank is a table, bankruptcy is a broken table. The language of finance preserves the storefronts of the Rialto Bridge.
- Traveling Names — From Thaler to Dollar, from Silver Yuan to YenThe name of the silver coin from Joachim's Valley crossed the sea to become the dollar. A name travels farther than the coin itself.
- Characters That Crossed the Sea — The Correct Interpretation of Kanji Containing 'Shell'The 'shell' in 貨, 財, and 買 is a memory of China, not Japanese history. Separate the memory of the character from the history of the land.
- The Politics of a Name — Kaiyuan, Changpyeong, and the New YenKaiyuan means a new era, Sangpyeong is a wish for price stability. A name is the first proclamation and a vessel for a wish.
- The Method of Etymology — The Reliable Shelf and the Dubious ShelfThe origin of the dollar sign also comes with reservations about its various theories. Etymology is a verifiable historical source, and also a nest of popular theories.
Readings (5)
- Italy Overview: the world the 14th century Banco and Bankruptcy
Section 2. Banco and banca rotta. Including the scene at the bench. - The Hanseatic sea and the mark Germany the 12th–15th centuries Northern Germany, before the scales of a merchant house
Section 1. Mark = weight. Its correspondence with the pound is also clearly stated. - Towards the euro Spain the present Madrid, the Puerta del Sol
Section 3. An Eastward Journey of a Name — From Silver Dollar to Yen and Yuan - The country of the Spanish dollar United States the 17th–18th centuries A colonial port in the Caribbean
Section 6. The Dollar Sign: A Prominent but Contested Theory — A Case Study - Korea Overview: the world the 17th century The Sangpyeong Tongbo
Section 5. Forever Peaceful — A Coin Named for a Wish
Read next
Disasters, Epidemics, and Money →What you learn next: Can describe the economy of Kyoto during a famine (alms, prices, street life) based on historical sources.
Time to read the text: about 7 min ／ What you can read: the course opening and contents are free; the full text is for those who have purchased
Price
After purchase, the full courses, the illustrated books, every country’s story and the numismatics examination are open to you.
See the price →