Money Words
Money moves from those who do not manage it to those who do.
Saturdays are perfect days for pecuniary surprises. Surprise, we’re talking about words describing and related to MONEY!
If you have your mind on your money and your money on your mind, it behooves you to speak the language of money—not complex financial or economic terminology but just words derived from the root MONE- meaning money:
money (noun) - a commodity or currency recognized as a medium of economic exchange; an accepted mode of payment
—the plural of money is money, but monies can also used in financial or legal contexts
—money as an adjective means exceptional or outstanding
monetary (adj) - of or pertaining to money or currency, particularly in regard to its amount and circulation in a county
monetize (verb) - to make a source of revenue or earn money from; convert into or circulate as currency
—monetization is the act or process of of earning revenue from an asset or service; the process of converting something into money
moneyed (adj) - wealthy or affluent
Slang terms for money often fall into broad categories like food (bacon, bread, cheddar, clams, cream, dough) or green items (green, greenbacks)--lettuce and cabbage conveniently fall into both categories. Other terms for American dollars denote denomination (C-note, fiver) or features on the currency (Benjamins, dead Presidents).
Some more distinctive terms for money have interesting origins:
bucks - a remnant from times in American history when deer hides, otherwise known as buckskins, were used as currency
guap - a modern word coined in New York and popularized by hip hop artist Big Sean, the term probably derives from guac, as in guacamole, because of its green color
scratch - likely related to the connotation of scratching or scraping by
scrill/scrilla - a modern word originated in California, the word has two potential and possibly related origins: scarola meaning curly endive (a leafy green) in Italian and/or scroll, referencing paper
simoleon - an older term reputed to be a portmanteau of simon (slang for a sixpence) and napoleon (a French gold coin); popularized in modern times as the currency in the Sims games
“Money is of a prolific generating nature. Money can beget money, and its offspring can beget more.” –Benjamin Franklin