$
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
| Character | $ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unicode name | DOLLAR SIGN | |||
| Codepoint | U+0024 | |||
|
||||
Contents |
Translingual [edit]
Etymology [edit]
$ appears to have evolved ca 1775 in the United States from a common abbreviation for pesos, also known as piastres or pieces of eight, a P–raised S ligature PS that passed through a stage resembling ֆ.[1] It was used in the US before the adoption of the dollar in 1785.[2]
Noun [edit]
$
- (used everywhere except in the Philippines) Abbreviation of peso.
- Abbreviation of dollar.
Derived terms [edit]
- ﹩ (small form variant)
Letter [edit]
$
- (figuratively) A substitute for the letter S or a space or hyphen used as a symbol of (perceived) greedy business practices
- for example: "Micro$oft Window$"
- (programming) used to indicate a variable
- (computer science) (parsers, regexes) end of input token
Usage notes [edit]
The symbol precedes the number it qualifies, despite being pronounced second (in English). For example, “$1” is read as “one dollar” not “dollar one”.
See also [edit]
Currency signs
Formerly used currency signs
References [edit]
- ^ A history of mathematical notations, Florian Cajori, 1993
- ^ US Bureau of Engraving and Printing