treasury

noun

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 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

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

Originally created as a Viking fortress, this 13th-century castle (with additions in later centuries) has functioned as a prison, treasury, court of law, and royal residence. — Amy Tara Koch, Condé Nast Traveler, "How to Plan a Family Trip to Ireland," 12 July 2018 There’s also a huge bubble in public debt, not just U.S. treasury debt, but the debt of local and state governments. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "American capitalism broke in the 1980s. Can it be fixed?," 7 Nov. 2018 As recently as June, foreign holdings of Chinese treasurys were rising at nearly 80 billion yuan ($11 billion) a month as fund managers eyed China’s inclusion in a key global bond benchmark. — Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, "Watch Out—Cash Is Deserting China Again," 7 Nov. 2018 Nicolás Dujovne, the treasury minister, took on Mr Caputo’s brief as well, giving him greater control over fiscal policy. — The Economist, "Argentina’s central-bank president resigns," 15 June 2018 But funding is expected to come from private sources, rather than the Chicago treasury. — NBC News, "Chicago picks Elon Musk's Boring Company to dig tunnel from downtown to airport," 14 June 2018 Fiscal-minded South Koreans wonder if possible reunification could drain the South’s treasury. — Brian Murphy, Washington Post, "South Korea struggles to digest strange new reality of Kim Jong Un bonding with White House," 13 June 2018 The elimination of the Michigan Business Tax in 2012 — replaced with a 6% corporate income tax that only a minority of businesses pay — cost the treasury about $1.8 billion a year. — Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, "The next big corporate tax cut? Senate panel OKs big break for utilities," 5 June 2018 Should treasury departments run mining operations to influence digital currencies like bitcoin? — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, "The Law of Blockchain: Beyond Government Control?," 10 May 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.

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2 Dec 2018

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The first known use of treasury was in the 14th century

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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