fiscal

1 of 2

adjective

fis·​cal ˈfi-skəl How to pronounce fiscal (audio)
1
: of or relating to taxation, public revenues, or public debt
fiscal policy
the city's fiscal requirements
2
: of or relating to financial matters
fiscal transactions
fiscally adverb

fiscal

2 of 2

noun

Did you know?

Fiscal derives from the Latin noun fiscus, meaning "basket" or "treasury." In ancient Rome, fiscus was the term for the treasury controlled by the emperor, where the money was literally stored in baskets and was collected primarily in the form of revenue from the provinces. Fiscus also gave English confiscate, which is most familiar as a verb meaning "to seize by or as if by authority," but it can additionally refer to the forfeiting of private property to public use. Today, we often encounter fiscal in "fiscal year," a 12-month accounting period not necessarily coinciding with the calendar year.

Example Sentences

Adjective the fiscal health of the university gained some fiscal knowledge by taking an economics course
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The fiscal third-quarter sales gain was primarily from higher prices, which General Mills and other food companies have been pushing through to offset higher costs. Denny Jacob, WSJ, 23 Mar. 2023 The Huntsville city council allocated $19.5 million for street improvements across the Rocket City in its 2023 fiscal budget – the largest single-year earmark for roadwork in the city -- and that investment is continuing to pay off. Paul Gattis | Pgattis@al.com, al, 23 Mar. 2023 The Chinese government appears to be turning on the taps of fiscal stimulus, with infrastructure investment surging by 9% during the first two months this year. Drew Bernstein, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2023 Spohnholz said the city is in a good fiscal situation, so the ballot proposition isn’t a choice between road plowing and child care. Morgan Krakow, Anchorage Daily News, 23 Mar. 2023 Bowser also suggests pulling $257 million from the city’s fiscal reserves — a tool the mayor also employed near the onset of the pandemic (the city is required by law to use any excess revenue to replenish its reserves). Michael Brice-saddler, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2023 Lalmalani said Manzo has focused his energies on ensuring public safety, fiscal discipline, and innovating ways of solving the village’s challenges without raising taxes. Chuck Fieldman, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2023 The three new members will come into office at a deeply challenging time as city leaders confront a quickly approaching fiscal crisis while also working to address reckless driving and gun violence. Alison Dirr, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2023 Houston Grand Opera went through many fiscal ups and downs during its first 10 years, presenting two to three operas per season. Gabi De La Rosa, Chron, 20 Mar. 2023
Noun
Medtronic expects organic revenue growth of around 4% in the second half of the current fiscal. Trefis Team, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2023 In May, when the government decided to cut the excise duty on petrol by Rs8 and on diesel by Rs6 per litre to reduce inflationary pressures, experts had estimated the cost to the exchequer would increase by Rs85,000 crore in the ongoing fiscal. Mimansa Verma, Quartz, 4 July 2022 His major reforms included fewer government programs and reduced government spending; less government intervention in fiscal, trade, and labor policies; income-tax cuts; and privatization. Lee Edwards, National Review, 14 Oct. 2019 The treasurer doesn't have much authority to set the state's fiscal or any other type of policy. Julia O'donoghue, NOLA.com, 13 Oct. 2017 If approved, the plan could raise $435 million through 2019, according to an April fiscal analysis of HB 2186. Joseph O’sullivan, The Seattle Times, 5 June 2017 This year that is not an option if Republicans want to advance their ambitious fiscal... Kate Davidson, WSJ, 18 May 2017 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fiscal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Latin fiscalis, from fiscus basket, treasury

First Known Use

Adjective

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fiscal was in 1563

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Dictionary Entries Near fiscal

Cite this Entry

“Fiscal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiscal. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

fiscal

adjective
fis·​cal
ˈfis-kəl
1
: of or relating to public finances
2
: of or relating to financial matters
fiscally
-kə-lē
adverb

Legal Definition

fiscal

adjective
fis·​cal ˈfis-kəl How to pronounce fiscal (audio)
1
: of or relating to taxation, public revenues, or public debt
fiscal policy
2
: of or relating to financial matters
fiscally adverb
Etymology

Adjective

Latin fiscalis, from fiscus basket, treasury

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