What's the meaning of the Dollar sign »

Dollar sign

This page is about the meaning, origin and characteristic of the symbol, emblem, seal, sign, logo or flag: Dollar sign.

Rate this symbol:5.0 / 4 votes

The dollar or peso sign ($) is a symbol primarily used to indicate the various peso and dollar units of currency around the world.

The sign is first attested in British, American, Canadian, Mexican and other Spanish American business correspondence in the 1770s, referring to the Spanish American peso, also known as "Spanish dollar" or "piece of eight" in British North America, which provided the model for the currency that the United States later adopted in 1785 and the larger coins of the new Spanish American republics such as the Mexican peso, Peruvian eight-real and Bolivian eight-sol coins.

The best documented explanation reveals that the sign evolved out of the Spanish and Spanish American scribal abbreviation "ps" for pesos. A study of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century manuscripts shows that the s gradually came to be written over the p developing a close equivalent to the "$" mark.

2,263 Views

Graphical characteristics:
Symmetric, Open shape, Monochrome, Contains both straight and curved lines, Has crossing lines.

Category: Currency signs.

More symbols in Currency signs:

A currency sign is a graphic symbol used as a shorthand for a currency's name, especially in reference to amounts of money. They typically employ the first letter or character of the currency, someti… read more »

Have a discussion about Dollar sign with the community:

1 Comment
  • Aydın Karabacak
    Aydın Karabacak
    352
    LikeReply 16 years ago

Citation

Use the citation below to add this symbol to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"Dollar sign." Symbols.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.symbols.com/symbol/dollar-sign>.

We need you!

Are we missing an important symbol in this category?

Graphical Index

Use our unique search feature to find a symbol based on its various graphical characteristics:


  • Symmetry:
  • Shape:
  • Colors:
  • Curveness:
  • Crossing:

Quiz

Are you a world flags master?

»
A Eritrea
B Lithuania
C Thailand
D Côte d'Ivoire

Browse Symbols.com