treasury

trea·sury | \ ˈtre-zh(ə-)rē

, ˈtrā- \

plural treasuries

Definition of treasury

1a : a place in which stores of wealth are kept

b : the place of deposit and disbursement of collected funds especially : one where public revenues are deposited, kept, and disbursed

c : funds kept in such a depository

2 Treasury

a : a governmental department in charge of finances and especially the collection, management, and expenditure of public revenues

b : the building in which the business of such a governmental department is transacted

3 Treasury plural also Treasurys : a government security (such as a note or bill) issued by the Treasury

4 : a repository for treasures a treasury of poems

5 obsolete : treasure

Examples of treasury in a Sentence

A government official has been accused of stealing from the nation's treasury. The fees are deposited into the state's treasury. A part of the nation's treasury is spent on space exploration. The author has collected a treasury of facts and lore about horses.

Recent Examples on the Web His ambition to serve as treasury secretary in a Democratic administration was never fulfilled, but in 1997, Mr. Rohatyn succeeded socialite and Democratic Party fund-raiser Pamela Harriman as President Clinton’s ambassador to France. — BostonGlobe.com, "Felix Rohatyn, Wall Street wizard who helped save NYC from bankruptcy, dies at 91 - The Boston Globe," 16 Dec. 2019 Steven Mnuchin, the treasury secretary, heard similar sentiments in a congressional hearing on December 5th. — The Economist, "America wants the World Bank to stop making loans to China," 12 Dec. 2019 Piñera replaced the heads of the interior, treasury, economy, labor and four other ministries with generally younger officials seen as more centrist and accessible. — Author: Michael Weissenstein And Eva Vergara, Anchorage Daily News, "Fresh protests, looting erupt in Chile despite new Cabinet," 29 Oct. 2019 See the oldest gymnasium in all of Greece, as well as theaters, treasuries, altars, and stadiums. — National Geographic, "Italy and Greece Middle School Expedition," 10 Sep. 2019 The brief filed by the House said the money would not be lost, but would simply go back into the treasury, where the administration would again be free to make its request to Congress. — oregonlive.com, "Supreme Court says President Trump can proceed with plan to spend military funds for border wall construction," 26 July 2019 According to documents examined by El Mundo, a tax settlement was paid to the Spanish treasury, in theory by Messi but ultimately by Barca, which made up the amount in a complex transaction days before the player signed a new contract last November. — Afp, chicagotribune.com, "Spanish authorities open probe on Messi foundation," 13 Jan. 2018 Another used to be the World Bank’s president, David Malpass, in his former job as an American treasury official. — The Economist, "America wants the World Bank to stop making loans to China," 12 Dec. 2019 Annual returns for 10-year treasuries were 3.8% from 1966-1979. — Ben Carlson, Fortune, "These Charts Show Just How Awful the Economy Was When Paul Volcker Took Over as Fed Chairman," 9 Dec. 2019

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

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Last Updated

14 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Treasury.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/treasury. Accessed 19 January 2020.

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More Definitions for treasury

treasury

noun

Financial Definition of treasury

What It Is

Treasuries (sometimes spelled "treasurys") refer to all the tradable and negotiable debt obligations issued by a country's government. Broadly speaking, when an investor is referring to "Treasuries," he or she is referring to U.S. Treasuries.

How It Works

U.S. Treasuries can be divided into three main categories: Treasury bills (T-bills), Treasury notes (T-notes) and Treasury bonds (T-bonds) which are designated according to their lengths of maturity.

Treasury bills are short-term, zero-coupon bonds that are issued in maturities with lengths of 4, 13 or 26 weeks. Treasury notes are intermediate-term bonds issued by a federal government with maturities of 2, 3, 5 or 10 years. Treasury bonds are long-term, semi-annual coupon bonds issued by a federal government. Their maturities range from 10 to 30 years.

U.S. Treasuries are considered the safest investments in the world because the U.S. government has never defaulted on any debt it has issued. For this reason, Treasuries serve as a benchmark for the risk-free rate of return when determining the amount of expected risk for other types of assets.

Why It Matters

Treasuries are savings vehicles for governments, corporations, banks and individuals around the world. They are also an important instrument in monetary policy, because the sale and repurchase of them allows central banks to control the money supply and thus make adjustments to a nation's economy.

Treasuries are some of the world's safest investments, and therefore, have lower yields than more risky investments. They are appropriate for the most risk-averse investors who are mainly interested in preserving capital or having a steady stream of income. The rating of a nation's treasuries by credit rating agencies is an essential indicator of the financial stability of that nation.

Source: Investing Answers

treasury

noun