Nickel's name comes from the Saxon term 'Kupfernickel' or Devils' Copper. 15th century miners in Germany found a brown-red ore which they believed to contain copper. They called it Kupfernickel or Devils' Copper because they couldn't recover copper from it. Coins in the USA first used nickel alloyed with copper in 1857.  

The “nickel” was not made from pure nickel but in 1881, pure nickel was used for coins in Switzerland.

Stainless steels were discovered early in the 20th century and nickel was found to have a very beneficial role in many of the common grades, which continues to this day. Alloys based on nickel were found to have excellent corrosion resistance and could withstand high temperatures, which made them suitable for chemical plants and also allowed the practical realisation of the jet engine. As a result of these developments, nickel has enjoyed a very strong growth of demand over the past century. This continues today because of the essential role nickel plays in many technologies.

When I saw this word of the day I thought of the mineral but also the American coin, the nickel. Then I wondered how many coins and their value are referred to purely by the name of a metal. The nickel refers to a specific coin with a specific value. I thought of copper being used to refer to a penny but it's not as specific as a nickel and can refer to a number of different value coins. The same with silver dollar because the coin's value has to be added. It's not just called a silver.

In the end I couldn't think of another example. How about this blog's collective wisdom. Does anyone else have an example to share?

• Abundance:

  While not as prevalent in the Earth's crust, nickel is the fifth most abundant element overall, with the majority residing in the core. 

   
• Name origin:

  The name "nickel" comes from the German term "Kupfernickel" which translates to "devil's copper" - miners believed the ore containing nickel was a type of copper. 

   
• Properties:

  Nickel is a hard, ductile, and malleable metal with good magnetic properties, making it useful in various applications. 

   
• Corrosion resistance:

  One of nickel's key features is its high resistance to corrosion, which is why it's often used as a coating on other metals. 

   
• Alloys:

  Nickel is primarily used in alloys, most notably stainless steel, where it enhances the material's durability and corrosion resistance. 

   
• Meteorites:

  Nickel is commonly found in metallic meteorites, which are primarily composed of iron and nickel. 

   
• Allergic reactions:

  Nickel is a known allergen, causing skin reactions in some individuals. 

2 minutes ago, Paladin said:

When I saw this word of the day I thought of the mineral but also the American coin, the nickel. Then I wondered how many coins and their value are referred to by purely by the name of a metal. The nickel refers to a specific coin with a specific value. I thought of copper being used to refer to a penny but it's not as specific as a nickel and can refer to a number of different value coins. The same with silver dollar because the coin's value has to be added. It's not just called a silver.

In the end I couldn't think of another example. How about this blog's collective wisdom. Does anyone else have an example to share?

Actually, pennies were often referred to as coppers (slang), and a nickel got its name due to the due to the fact that was made from a copper and nickel alloy, rather than silver, so the name nickel stuck.  The dime got its name from the Latin word decimus, meaning one-tenth.  The French used the word disme in the 1500s when when they came up with the idea of money divided into ten parts, and in American the spelling changed from disme to dime.  The quarter was named because the coin was worth a quarter of a dollar, or 25 cents.  

21 minutes ago, Bill W said:

Actually, pennies were often referred to as coppers (slang), and a nickel got its name due to the due to the fact that was made from a copper and nickel alloy, rather than silver, so the name nickel stuck.  The dime got its name from the Latin word decimus, meaning one-tenth.  The French used the word disme in the 1500s when when they came up with the idea of money divided into ten parts, and in American the spelling changed from disme to dime.  The quarter was named because the coin was worth a quarter of a dollar, or 25 cents.  

I totally agree with you @Bill W and it all comes back to a nickel referring to a specific coin of specific value and nickel also being the name of a metal. Dime and the other examples are the names of coins but not also the names of metals. For me copper to refer to a coin of a specific value is contentious and I suspect that is because I live outside of US where copper was used to mint a number of low value coins. As a result copper did not attach to specific coin value. (Although it did refer to a policeman). I'll accept that it did in US. So far two examples. I am still looking to fellow bloggers for help in finding if there are other examples. 

A pound coin originally weighed one troy pound of sterling silver, giving the currency the name "pound sterling". "Sterling silver" means mixed metal that has 92.5% or more real silver. One pound sterling was originally divided by 240 sterling pence. This was because there are 240 pennyweights in a troy pound.  It then carried over to the paper equivalent.  

What I was getting at was that the pound sterling (silver) was once a coin, so named because of its content of sterling silver.  The name was later carried over to the paper equivalent, before the Brits went on a decimal currency based on 100, instead of 240.  

Thank you @Bill W for opening another line of discovery. I admit I've often wondered why the British currency was, until recently, referred to as sterling and never followed up to find out why, although again the pound was called a pound not a sliver or a sterling. The whole currency, not just the pound was referred to as sterling because originally it was backed up by silver which then was used for international trade. Only later did countries establish the gold standard and Britain join.

While regarding the word of the day, we now have the question of coins (or currency) which are named after a weight. Pound is obviously one. Are there any others, including in other languages and cultures?

Just the facts:

Nickel Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

In our conversation about using the names of metal in currency, I overlooked the obvious.  In US money there was the silver dollar and the twenty dollar Double Eagle gold piece.  

22 minutes ago, Bill W said:

In our conversation about using the names of metal in currency, I overlooked the obvious.  In US money there was the silver dollar and the twenty dollar Double Eagle gold piece.  

My original comment referred to silver dollar.

15 minutes ago, Paladin said:

My original comment referred to silver dollar.

A problem with getting old, I sometimes forget things.  My bad.  

5 minutes ago, Bill W said:

A problem with getting old, I sometimes forget things.  My bad.  

It seems we all are, well I certainly am, but whenever I feel old I think of a quote I attribute, without evidence, to George Burns (now you have to be old to know who I'm talking about). On his 99th birthday he was asked what it felt like to be 99. His reply was "It's a lot better than the alternative."

2 hours ago, Paladin said:

It seems we all are, well I certainly am, but whenever I feel old I think of a quote I attribute, without evidence, to George Burns (now you have to be old to know who I'm talking about). On his 99th birthday he was asked what it felt like to be 99. His reply was "It's a lot better than the alternative."

I not only remember George Burns, I watched "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" on TV.  Gracie Allen was his wife and they were married from 1826-1964 when she died.  He didn't die until 1996, at 100, but he never remarried.