The word buck as a term for the U.S. dollar dates back to the 1700s, when deer hides, or buckskins, were often used in trade on the American frontier. Settlers and traders in sparsely populated regions relied on bartering, and buckskins were durable, valuable, and widely accepted.

Some of the earliest written uses came from traders and interpreters working with Native American tribes, whose economies were often intertwined with the deerskin trade long before the word reached broader circulation.

When the United States adopted the dollar in 1792, buck stuck around. The term was already familiar and naturally carried over to paper money. More than two centuries later, it remains part of everyday speech.

The link between buckskins and dollars is widely cited, and early written examples, including a 1748 trader’s journal referencing payment in “bucks,” help support the connection. Still, the origin isn’t definitive. Buckskins varied in value depending on size, condition, and location and were often sold by weight. A single hide might equal a dollar in some places, but there was no fixed rate.

More than two centuries later, buck is still part of everyday American English. The word has endured because it’s plainspoken, practical, and rooted in the country’s early history.