treasury

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

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

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

Meanwhile, the prop magician Michael Jortner provided some astonishing parures of heist-worthy jewels that were inspired by the legendary royal treasuries of Catherine the Great, Empress Josephine, et al., which proved so much fun to research.

— hamish bowles, Vogue, "The Met Goes Meta: How Hamish Bowles Created the Costume Institute Exhibition in Ocean’s 8," 7 June 2018
Money has been sloshing into the public treasury faster than City Hall can spend it, though not for want of trying.

— New York Times, "New York Has Given Away the Keys to More Than a Prius," 15 May 2018
Those royalties usually go into the federal treasury.

— rick jervis, USA TODAY, "Endangered animals could get life-saving boost from oil, gas funds under new bill," 11 Mar. 2018
Confidential payments come out of a special U.S. treasury fund.

— amber phillips, Washington Post, "Is Congress about to finally do something about its sexual harassment problem?," 23 May 2018
The bank’s treasury management services extend that list with impressive a la carte business offerings.

— Houston Chronicle, "Houston bank puts its money where its mouth is," 18 May 2018
As part of the effort to reassure investors, Nicolás Dujovne, the treasury minister, cut the target for this year’s primary budget deficit from 3.2% to 2.7%.

— The Economist, "Argentina’s economic woes," 10 May 2018
The sparring, in court and in the news media, underscores one of many problems facing FEMA and, by extension, the federal treasury.

— drew broach, NOLA.com, "After FEMA chides trial lawyers, this Metairie attorney pushes back," 3 May 2018
Vaillancourt brings to Key an extensive treasury and cash management background working with clients of all sizes and industries.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Colchester Edition," 27 Mar. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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

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