Fiscus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A financial entity controlled by a government that handles public revenues and expenditures is what this term indicates
2. This term pertains to the governmental treasury responsible for managing state financial resources and fiscal matters
3. The treasury of a government responsible for collecting and managing public money

Etymology: Before it meant a state treasury, "fiscus" in Latin was a woven basket. The word comes from the Latin for a wicker basket or money bag, and the sense shifted to a container for coins, then to the money inside it. Under the Roman emperors, the fiscus became the imperial purse, kept separate from the public treasury (the aerarium), so the basket that once held a few coins ended up holding the state's revenues. English borrowed the word from Latin in its treasury sense. The adjective "fiscal," meaning relating to public revenue or finance, grew from the same root, and the two words still share the idea of money gathered into a single container.

Synonyms: treasury, financial resources, government funds, public finances, revenue