So, How Did the Dime Come to Be Called a Dime?

[Siege]

I searched the columns; I searched this forum. Now, I come to you for the answer.

Just how did the American dime get to be called a “dime”? I’ve checked dictionaries I’ve got on hand for European languages and it looks like there could be a tenuous connection with the French dime, meaning “tithe” and a connection with the idea of “one tenth” fits in with what I know of etymology. However, I vaguely recall a mystery short story called “The President’s Half-Disme”* which suggests to me it could once have been called a “disme”.

Cecil told me who preceded Roosevelt (not Eisenhower) on the dime; now, can someone tell me how a coin worth one tenth of a U.S. dollar (the way the rest of my dictionaries translate it) came to be called a “dime”?

Thanks,
CJ
*I’m pretty sure it’s one of Isaac Asimov’s Black Widowers stories.

[Mathochist]

@Siege

Cecil told me who preceded Roosevelt (not Eisenhower) on the dime; now, can someone tell me how a coin worth one tenth of a U.S. dollar (the way the rest of my dictionaries translate it) came to be called a “dime”?

From O.E.D.:

a. OF. disme, dime:L. decima tithe, tenth part, fem. of decimus tenth.

So they’re both right.

[Hari_Seldon]

The French word for tenth is dixieme and I believe that became disme and then dime. That doesn’t explain why they used a French word, of course. But then, “cent” comes from a Latin word. Notice that the US coins are named for the fraction of the dollar (except the nickel which is named five cents), cent, dime, quarter dollar, half dollar and the late lamented dollar. Canadian coins are named the plain vanilla cent, five cents, ten cents, twenty five cents and I suppose (I have never seen one) fifty cents. Then comes the loony (one dollar) and twony (guess what).

[samclem]

[QUOTE=Hari Seldon]
The French word for tenth is dixieme and I believe that became disme and then dime. That doesn’t explain why they used a French word, of course. …Notice that the US coins are named for the fraction of the dollar (except the nickel which is named five cents)…QUOTE]
Since French was a language of science and philosophy at the time, and the director of the mint was a scientist and philosopher, not to mention many of the founders, it’s believable.

The nickel only comes in 70 years later. In 1792, it was a half disme (dime) , in keeping with the fractions.

[Northern_Piper]

@Siege

However, I vaguely recall a mystery short story called “The President’s Half-Disme”* which suggests to me it could once have been called a “disme”.
…
*I’m pretty sure it’s one of Isaac Asimov’s Black Widowers stories.

Nope -
Ellery Queen. It was reprinted in Calendar of Crime, a collection of short stories each set in a different month. The “Half-Disme” story was for February, Washington’s birthday. It begins by saying that Ellery has a run-in with the President, but instead of being taken aside and questioned by burly Secret Service men, it’s an encounter with the first President, etc. It’s not a “whodunnit”, but a “whereisit” - Ellery is trying to track down the prototype of the first half-disme produced by the U.S. Mint for President Washington.

[Northern_Piper]

Oh, and as Hari Selden notes, “dime” is a rounded-down version of “disme”. When it’s used in French to represent church tithes, it has a circumflex over the i to show the s which gradually stopped being pronounced: “dîme.”

[silenus]

Hah! I KNEW we had answered this one before, and recently:

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=243129&highlight=disme

[Colibri]

Panama doesn’t have a paper currency of its own, but uses U.S. dollar bills. It does, however, mint coins that are the same size and shape of the U.S. versions, but of different design.

The colloquial names of the 25-cent and 10-cent piece derive from the U.S. coins: cuata (quarter) and dime (pronounced dee-may). Coincidentally, the latter also means “give me” in Spanish. The 5-cent piece, however, is called a real, and the penny a centavo.

[Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker]

@Siege

I searched the columns; I searched this forum. Now, I come to you for the answer.

This information can also be found in dictionaries!

Main Entry: dime
Pronunciation: 'dIm
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, tenth part, tithe, from Middle French, from Latin decima, from feminine of decimus tenth, from decem ten – more at TEN
1 a : a coin of the U.S. worth 1/10 dollar b : a petty sum of money
2 : a Canadian 10-cent piece

• a dime a dozen : so plentiful or commonplace as to be of little esteem or slight value
• on a dime 1 : in a very small area <these cars can turn on a dime> 2 : INSTANTLY

[Dogface]

Let me take the effort to quote from pertinent US law:

SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That there shall be from time to time struck and coined at the said mint, coins of gold, silver, and copper, of the following denomination, values and descriptions, viz. Eagles—each to be of the value of ten dollars or units, and to contain two hundred and forty-seven grains and four eighths of a grain of pure, or two hundred and seventy grains of standard gold. Half Eagles—each to be of the value of five dollars, and to contain one hundred and twenty-three grains and six eighths of a grain of pure, or one hundred and thirty-five grains of standard gold. Quarter Eagles—each to be of the value of two dollars and a half dollar, and to contain sixty-one grains and seven eighths of a grain of pure, or sixty-seven grains and four eighths of a grain of standard gold. Dollars or Units—each to be of the value of a Spanish milled dollar as the same is now current, and to contain three hundred and seventy-one grains and four sixteenths parts of a grain of pure, or four hundred and sixteen grains of standard silver. Half Dollars—each to be of half the value of the dollar or unit, and to contain one hundred and eighty-five grains and ten sixteenth parts of a grain of pure, or two hundred and eight grains of standard silver. Quarter Dollars—each to be of one fourth the value of the dollar or unit, and to contain ninety-two grains and thirteen sixteenth parts of a grain of pure, or one hundred and four grains of standard silver. Dismes—each to be of the value of one tenth of a dollar or unit, and to contain thirty-seven grains and two sixteenth parts of a grain of pure, or forty-one grains and three fifths parts of a grain of standard silver. Half Dismes—each to be of the value of one twentieth of a dollar, and to contain eighteen grains and nine sixteenths parts of a grain of pure, or twenty grains and four fifths parts of a grain of standard silver. Cents—each to be of the value of one hundredth part of a dollar, and to contain eleven penny-weights of copper. Half Cents—each to be of the value of half a cent, and to contain five penny-weights and a half a penny-weight of copper.

From the Act of 1792 establishing a mint and US coinage.

[Siege]

Figures. I should have told the hamsters to look for “disme”, not dime, that or I botched the search. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the information. I’ll pass it on to the boss who asked me it. You see, one of my pet peeves is the United States’ curious reluctance to put actual numbers on coins so that people can know that the little, thin one is worth more than the bigger, thicker one.

Northern Piper, thanks for refreshing my memory. I remember the book, now; it was a good one.

CJ

[Northern_Piper]

You’re welcome.