Etymologically
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monetary

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:34. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmʌnɪtəɹi/ (UK); /ˈmɑnɪˌtɛɹi/, /ˈmʌnəˌtɛɹi/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin monētārius (“of a mint, of money”), perhaps through French monétaire,[2][3][4] from Latin monēta (“mint, coinage”) (see money, mint).[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of coinage or currency: 1663 in MWU,[5] 1802–12, in Bentham, in Barnhart and the OED.[2][6]

Semantic evolution

Pertaining to money in general, pecuniary, is from 1860.[6][3] Monetarist, an advocate of tight control of the money supply, is from 1963, and monetarism from 1969, American English.[2] Collins also relates monetary policy to monetarism.[7]

Timeline

  • 1663 – first known use.[5]
  • 1802–12 – of coinage.[2]
  • 1860 – of money in general.[6]
  • 1963 – monetarist.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Of or relating to money.
  2. Of or relating to a nation's currency or coinage, or to monetarism.

Word family

  • monetarily
  • nonmonetary
  • premonetary
  • unmonetary
  • monetary unit
  • mint
  • money
  • monetarism
  • monetize

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins