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Glite Dictionary
public treasury

public treasury

2 4.1
Money that the government keeps and the office that holds and pays it
  • noun
  • /ˈpʌblɪk ˈtrɛʒəri/
  • Formal
translation icon : tesorería pública
  • Transparency in how the public treasury is managed is vital for maintaining trust in the government.
  • looted the public treasury

Examples

  • The public treasury, as a resource to be tapped, has been a constant.

    Blog text (2)

  • American voters have the right to determine how much of the public treasury goes toward funding military forces in Europe.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Only those contributing to the public treasury ought to have a vote in how it is spent.

    Blog text (11)

  • Much of the money for Gómez's acquisitions came from the public treasury rather than from his own private funds.

    Academic text (2003)

  • No revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.

    Blog text (31)

  • The government allocated a significant portion of the public treasury to improve healthcare facilities.

  • The public treasury is responsible for managing the funds used to build new schools and roads.

Synonyms

treasury
vspublic treasury
33 4.9

A government department that manages the country's money

also covers the government's money itself rather than only the department
exchequer
vspublic treasury
  • UK
1 9.7

Money that a government, organization, or person has

is specific to government money and also names the official department

How Big

public treasury
  • Formal
2 4.1
exchequer
  • UK
1 9.7
funds
5 1.0
reserve fund
  • Specialized
3 4.1
pocket money
  • UK
8 1.5

Surface Forms

public treasury singular
public treasuries plural

Morphology

public + treasury

Both constituents contribute their usual meanings: 'treasury' denotes government funds or the office that manages them, and 'public' marks nonprivate/governmental. A B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer 'public treasury' as the government's funds or treasury department; this compositional pattern is common across languages, supporting transparency.

Etymology

Public treasury comes from the image of a locked chest of money kept by the rulers or town for everyone: treasury was the place or chest that held the money and public shows it belonged to the people. That's why it now means the government's funds or the office that 'collects and spends money'.