# Dollar Sign $$$ **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 23, 2003, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dollar-sign/197135 "2003-08-23T10:53:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spogga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@spogga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spogga)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dollar-sign/197135/1 "2003-08-23T10:53:05Z")
I know that the origin of the British pound sign (£) is derived from the Latin _Lucre_ (to gain riches) and that the bar through the original ‘L’ used to denote a pound was added to avoid confusion with an uppercase letter ‘L’ What I would like to know is what is the origin of the dollar sign. I do seem to recall that years ago somebody said it came about because early American settlers used looted, stolen, nicked, whatever Spanish pieces of eight gold coins as currency and that the sign for a piece of eight was the number 8 with a lower case ‘p’ superimposed on it. Anyone got a better explanation? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dollar-sign/197135/2 "2003-08-23T11:17:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spogga \* > \*\* > > Anyone got a better explanation? \*\* Yes. [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_178.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_178.html) ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dollar-sign/197135/3 "2003-08-23T11:27:27Z")
> [@](#): > > As for the C in the cent sign, it seems safe to say it stands for “cent.” However, you can never be too careful in this business… > > -CECIL ADAMS Damn. That’s funny. ---
**Author:** ![spogga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@spogga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spogga)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dollar-sign/197135/4 "2003-08-23T11:27:48Z")
Thanks Mahaloth. The ‘p’ and 8, nearly right!!! ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dollar-sign/197135/5 "2003-08-23T11:35:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spogga \* > \*\*I know that the origin of the British pound sign (£) is derived from the Latin _Lucre_ (to gain riches) You know wrong. The pound sign comes from the Latin word “Libra” which means. . . pound! ---
**Author:** ![spogga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@spogga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spogga)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dollar-sign/197135/6 "2003-08-23T11:43:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sailor \* > \*\*You know wrong. The pound sign comes from the Latin word “Libra” which means. . . pound! \*\* The pound weight (lb) sign is from Libra…I hope! ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dollar-sign/197135/7 "2003-08-23T15:44:29Z")
> [@](#): > > [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound\_Sterling](http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_Sterling) > > As a unit of currency, the term pound originates from the value of a Troy pound weight of high purity silver known as sterling silver > > The basic currency unit of Sterling is now the pound - hence Pound Sterling, which strictly speaking refers to the currency unit rather than the currency. Sign: £ (from Latin libra = pound). > [@](#): > > [http://www.thisisparramatta.com/ozinengland2/uselessfacts.html](http://www.thisisparramatta.com/ozinengland2/uselessfacts.html) > The word ‘pound’ is abbreviated ‘lb.’ after the constellation ‘libra’ because it means ‘pound’ in Latin, and also ‘scales’. The abbreviation for the British Pound Sterling comes from the same source: it is an ‘L’ for Libra/Lb. with a stroke through it to indicate abbreviation. Sames goes for the Italian lira which uses the same abbreviation (‘lira’ coming from ‘libra’). So British currency (before it went metric) was always quoted as “pounds/shillings/pence”, abbreviated “L/s/d” (libra/solidus/denarius). ---
**Author:** ![spogga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@spogga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spogga)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dollar-sign/197135/8 "2003-08-23T16:05:34Z")
Sailor: Consider me told…and how!!!:smack: