Etymologically
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pecuniary

Etymology and origin of the English word pecuniary

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pɪˈkjuːn(jə)ɹi/ (UK); /pəˈkjuniˌɛɹi/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin pecūniārius (“pertaining to money”),[2][3][4][5][6] perhaps through Middle French pécuniaire,[3][4] from pecūnia “money, property, wealth”,[2][3][4][5][6] from pecū “cattle, flock”,[3][4] from the Proto-Indo-European root *peku- “wealth, livestock”,[2][4] which also gave Old English feoh “cattle, money”, the source of fee.[4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Consisting of money; exacted in money (1502).[7][3][4][5]

Semantic evolution

Livestock was the measure of wealth in the ancient world, and Cicero was still aware that pecūnia meant “wealth in cattle”.[4] The sense “of or relating to money” dates from the 1620s,[4][7] and of an offence or law, “entailing a fine”, from 1610.[7][6] Earlier English adjectives were pecunier (early 15th century) and pecunial.[4]

Timeline

  • 1502 – consisting of money.[7][3][5]
  • 1610 – of an offence, punishable by a fine.[7]
  • 1623 – relating to money.[7][4]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Of or relating to money; monetary or financial, as in pecuniary difficulties.
  2. Consisting of or requiring payment of money, as in a pecuniary penalty.

Word family

  • pecuniarily
  • peculiar
  • peculate
  • impecunious
  • fee

Usage notes

Random House refers to its entry financial for synonyms.[6]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Pecuniary.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/pecuniary. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·