treasury

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noun trea·sury \ ˈtre-zh(ə-)rē , ˈtrā- \

Updated on: 26 Jul 2017

Definition of treasury

plural treasuries

1 a :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 capitalized

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 capitalized :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

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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 of treasury from the Web

When Nader invaded Delhi in 1739, the ensuing carnage cost tens of thousands of lives and the depletion of the treasury.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "The True Story of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond—And Why the British Won’t Give It Back," 30 Aug. 2017
The Senate president also noted Taney’s other roles in public service, including state lawmaker, Maryland attorney general, U.S. secretary of war, U.S. attorney general and U.S. treasury secretary.

— josh hicks, Washington Post, "Work crew begins removing Taney statue from Maryland State House grounds," 18 Aug. 2017
But the Fairbanks North Star Borough only brought in $26,755 for that same time frame — not a huge amount, noted Peggy MacDonald, treasury and budget manager for the borough.

— laurel andrews, Alaska Dispatch News, "Is the marijuana industry actually making money for Alaska?," 12 Aug. 2017
For nearly a century thereafter, the Colony’s General Assembly, Criminal Court, and City Council met here, foreshadowing the modern-day business lunch, with councilors charging their meals to the public treasury.

— david jefferys, CNT, "An Evening at the Oldest Bar in America," 3 Aug. 2017
Take the case of Timothy Geithner, who once paid back taxes before becoming Obama’s treasury secretary — a position in which Geithner oversaw the IRS.

— Time, "3 Trump Appointees Owe Thousands of Dollars in Back Taxes," 2 Aug. 2017
Despite these rigid price controls, the expansion is still on track to raid the federal treasury.

— sally pipes, National Review, "Yes, We Should Block-Grant Medicaid," 28 July 2017
The county treasury was taken to New Richmond and then to Cincinnati.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: Morgan invaded Clermont County in 1863," 26 July 2017
U.S. Treasury yields were little changed on light trading volume with benchmark yields hitting their lowest levels in nearly three weeks in advance of Thursday's ECB meeting.

— reuters, Fortune, "Nasdaq and S&P 500 Reach Record Highs Thanks to Technology Stocks," 19 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of treasury

Middle English tresorie, from Anglo-French, from tresor treasure

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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Financial Definition of TREASURY

treasury

noun

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 Defined for English Language Learners

treasury

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noun

Definition of treasury for English Language Learners

: the place where the money of a government, club, etc., is kept; also : the money itself
: a place in a church, castle, palace, etc., where money and valuable objects are kept
: a group of valuable things that are related in some way