pecuniary English · revision 861

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /pɪˈkjuːn(jə)ɹi/ ''(UK)''; /pəˈkjuniˌɛɹi/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|pecūniārius|t=pertaining to money]],^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) perhaps through [[frm|pécuniaire]],^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) from ''pecūnia'' “money, property, wealth”,^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) from ''pecū'' “cattle, flock”,^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) from the Proto-Indo-European root ''*peku-'' “wealth, livestock”,^(AHD)^(Etymonline) which also gave Old English ''feoh'' “cattle, money”, the source of [[fee]].^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Consisting of money; exacted in money (1502).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Livestock was the measure of wealth in the ancient world, and Cicero was still aware that ''pecūnia'' meant “wealth in cattle”.^(Etymonline) The sense “of or relating to money” dates from the 1620s,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and of an offence or law, “entailing a fine”, from 1610.^(OED 1989)^(RHWU) Earlier English adjectives were ''pecunier'' (early 15th century) and ''pecunial''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1502 – consisting of money.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1610 – of an offence, punishable by a fine.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1623 – relating to money.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Of or relating to money; [[monetary]] or [[financial]], as in ''pecuniary difficulties''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Consisting of or requiring payment of money, as in ''a pecuniary penalty''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[pecuniarily]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[peculiar]]

+ * [[peculate]]

+ * [[impecunious]]

+ * [[fee]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Random House refers to its entry ''[[financial]]'' for synonyms.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}