seigniorage

noun

sei·​gnior·​age ˈsān-yə-rij How to pronounce seigniorage (audio)
variants or seignorage
: a government revenue from the manufacture of coins calculated as the difference between the face value and the metal value of the coins

Examples of seigniorage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 2024, the Mint made $182 million in seigniorage, which is its equivalent of profit. Ken Sweet, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025 The second reason is, of course, that these stablecoins are almost all pegged to the US Dollar and the seigniorage accrues not to the Fed or any other central bank but to private operators. David G.w. Birch, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025 Just to give you an idea, the previous government stole 28 points of GDP from Argentinians through seigniorage. Vera Bergengruen/buenos Aires, TIME, 23 May 2024 The reality is that seigniorage was lost long ago as a result of spontaneous dollarization. Emilio Ocampo, National Review, 18 Oct. 2023 The Fed would essentially turn over to Treasury an amount of money that represents the present value of future seigniorage. Norbert Michel, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2023 Loyalty points are exposed to the modern form of seigniorage, as well as regular inflation. Jon Sindreu, WSJ, 26 Mar. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Middle English seigneurage, from Anglo-French seignurage right of the lord (especially to coin money), from seignur

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of seigniorage was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Seigniorage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seigniorage. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on seigniorage

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!