treasury

noun

trea·​sury ˈtre-zh(ə-)rē 

ˈtrā-

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

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

The chaotic leadership reset at OpenAI ended with the board being reshuffled to consist of establishment figures in tech and former US secretary of the treasury Larry Summers. —Peter Guest, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2023

Larry Summers An economist and former treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, Summers was president of Harvard University until stepping down in 2006 after making controversial comments the prior year suggesting women aren’t as good as men at science and engineering. —Nitasha Tiku, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023

With the help of rising interest rates and a larger investment portfolio, the Arkansas treasury's interest earnings skyrocketed to $254.5 million in the fiscal 2023 year that ended June 30 -- the highest amount since at least 2005. —Michael R. Wickline, Arkansas Online, 8 Aug. 2023

Although Lew, a former treasury secretary under President Barack Obama, has faced strong opposition from many Republicans, he was confirmed in a majority vote in the chamber. —Maegan Vazquez, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2023

Recent economic growth, however, belies an alarm sounded by one of the most important economic indicators: the 10-year treasury yield. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 26 Oct. 2023

Part of that is likely the reaction to the news cycle: 10-year treasury yields topping 5%, fears of escalation in the ongoing war in Gaza and comments by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell which many interpreted as leaving additional action by the Fed to tame inflation on the table. —Sergio Padilla, CNN, 24 Oct. 2023

Lew is an Orthodox Jew who served as former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff and as treasury secretary. —Samantha-Jo Roth, Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2023

Lew also served as Obama's White House chief of staff for two years before he was made Obama's treasury secretary from 2013-2017. —Misty Severi, Washington Examiner, 18 Oct. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing treasury

• treasury stock
• treasury note
• treasury of merits
• sub-treasury

• treasury stock
• treasury note
• treasury of merits
• sub-treasury

Kids Definition

treasury

noun

trea·​sury ˈtrezh-(ə-)rē 

ˈtrāzh-

plural treasuries

1

a

: a place in which stores of wealth are kept

b

: the place where collected funds are stored and paid out

2

capitalized : a government department in charge of finances

Legal Definition

treasury

noun

trea·​sury ˈtre-zhə-rē, ˈtrā- 

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 (as a note or bill) issued by the Treasury