thousand-dollar
Meaning
costing or valued at one thousand dollars
used to describe something of great significance or high value, often in a figurative sense
Structure
Usage
he won a thousand-dollar prize in the raffle.
she gave him a thousand-dollar smile that lit up the room.
repairing the damage was a thousand-dollar mistake.
Etymology
the compound 'thousand-dollar' is a modern english formation combining two distinct units of measure. 'thousand' originates from proto-germanic 'þūsundī', likely an abstraction for a large multitude. 'dollar' has a more concrete geographical origin, deriving from the 'joachimsthaler' silver coins minted in bohemia in the 16th century. the fusion of these terms creates a specific adjectival phrase denoting precise monetary value. over time, its application has expanded beyond the literal financial sense to function as an idiomatic intensifier, signifying something of premier quality or importance, thus linking concrete valuation to abstract worth.
Analysis
thousand - from old english 'þūsend', of germanic origin; a cardinal number. dollar - from low german 'daler', short for 'joachimsthaler', a coin from the joachimsthal valley; the standard monetary unit.