Definition In Basic Terms 

Treasury is a broad term that has links to several different meanings, all of which are of course in some way related. In the most basic terms, a treasury is a place where treasure is kept. This definition in itself is broad, but a more specific example of a treasury would be a place that holds both public and private funds for safekeeping. The treasury may be managed and may receive funds on a regular basis or may simply hold goods.

The Term Put Into Context

Another instance that this term is when someone is describing an assortment of literary or artistic ‘treasures’, usually worth a lot of money. In addition to this, the word treasury can also relate to a government department that collects, manages and distributes public revenue.

Anything valuable kept in a ‘safehouse’ can be described as a treasury and therefore the term treasury is used across the globe, often simply describing a government department that controls a countries finance.

Nevertheless, a treasury can also be in the form of just a room, chest or other place that has been built or bought for the protection of valuable objects, so ultimately you could refer to your own bank account as a treasury, although this is likely to be a very small one compared to those on a nationwide scale!

History Of The Term

Like all lexicon terms, treasury dates far back into history. During the classical times this was the word used to describe the supplicatory buildings that were established to home the ‘gifts of gods’. A good example of this is the Siphnian Treasury in Delphi.

Often a treasury will have a head owner called a treasurer. Often a treasurer will be an elected representative, although typically the position does not mean that the treasurer has final control over the treasury’s actions.

In certain parts of the world a treasury is referred to as the Ministry of Finance. A Ministry of Finance will also have a head and filling this role would be the finance minister. Country’s that this applies to include Spain, Italy, Canada, India, Japan, Netherlands and New Zealand.

In other places around the globe, a treasury will coincide with an isolated Ministry of Finance, meaning that the two will have split functions.

Adjectives For Treasury

Adjectives of the word treasury include treasurial and tresorial.