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What is the name and origin of the $ sign?

The $ sign is called the "dollar sign". People used this sign long before the introduction of the American dollar. It was probably an adaptation of the figure "8", representing the Spanish "piece of eight" or eight-real coin. Today the $ sign typically represents US dollars (USD), but it is also used for other dollars, for example Singapore dollars. If there is a need to avoid confusion, the $ sign is often used with one or two letters to indicate the country, for example US$ (US dollars), S$ (Singapore dollars) or HK$ (Hong Kong dollars).