ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hamilton

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈhæməɫtən// hamil·ton Slang

n. a ten-dollar bill in the United States. It has the face of Alexander Hamilton on it, so people use his name as a fun way to talk about money.

n. a ten-dollar banknote in United States currency. Named after Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, whose portrait appears on the bill.


SIMPLE

The sandwich and coffee cost me a Hamilton.

CONTEXTUAL

He reached into his wallet and pulled out a Hamilton to pay for the taxi ride.

COMPLEX

While larger denominations are often preferred for significant transactions, a single Hamilton remains the standard currency for a quick lunch in many American cities.

Origin

From Old English *Hameldūne, from hamel (“blunt, flat-topped”) + dūne (“hill”). The Scottish surname is from the place in Leicestershire. The dollar-bill sense is from the portrait of Alexander Hamilton featured on it.

Usage

Informal slang; almost exclusively used in the United States.

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