treasurer
Pronunciation
- IPA: UK /ˈtreʒ.ər.ə/, US /ˈtreʒ.ər.ɚ/[1]
Etymology
It is inherited from Middle English tresourer, borrowed from Anglo-Norman tresorer and Old French tresorier,[2][3] from tresor (“treasure”) (see treasure),[2][3][4] influenced by Late Latin thēsaurārius.[4]
Earliest recorded meaning
One officially in charge of treasure: about 1290 in the OED; a guardian of a hoard of valuables, the late 13th century in Etymonline.[5][2]
Semantic evolution
At first a treasurer was often an official of a city, church or household,[2] and the Lord High Treasurer of England is named from 1292;[5] a high officer of the Crown is from the mid-14th century.[2] Figuratively, one that stores up anything precious, it is from before 1300.[5] A feminine tresouresse, a nun who managed the finances of her house, is from the mid-15th century.[2] An officer of the US Treasury is the Treasurer from 1790.[5]
Timeline
- c. 1290 – a keeper of treasure.[5]
- 1292 – Lord High Treasurer.[5]
- mid-14th century – a Crown official.[2]
- mid-15th century – tresouresse.[2]
- 1790 – the US Treasurer.[5]
Modern meaning
Noun
- A person in charge of the funds of a society, company, city or government; a chief financial officer.
- (Australia, capitalized) The minister of finance.
Word family
- treasurership
- undertreasurer
Related words
References
- ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press