greenback

- 5 dictionary results

green⋅back

[green-bak]

–noun

a U.S. legal-tender note, printed in green on the back since the Civil War, originally issued against the credit of the country and not against gold or silver on deposit.

Origin:
1860–65, Americanism; green + back ¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To greenback

green·back (grēn'bāk')

n. A note of U.S. currency.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary

greenback [ˈgrinbæk]

n.
a dollar bill. : It's only ten greenbacks. Anybody can afford that.

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

greenback

"U.S. dollar bill," 1862, so called from the time of their introduction; bank paper money printed in green ink had been called this since 1778 (as opposed to redbacks, etc.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

Greenback

A slang term for American paper dollars.

Investopedia Commentary

Greenbacks got their name from their color however, in the mid-1800s "greenback" was a negative term. During this time, the Continental Congress did not have taxing authority. As a result the greenbacks did not have a secure financial backing and banks were reluctant to give customers the full value of the dollar.

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