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exchequer

/ɛksˈt͡ʃɛ.kɚ/ noun

Latin root: scaccarium Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about exchequer at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. An office of revenue taxation; a treasury.
  2. An available fund of money, especially one for a specific purpose.

verb

  1. To proceed against (a person) in the Court of Exchequer.

Origin

From Middle English escheker, from Anglo-Norman escheker (“chessboard”), from Medieval Latin scaccarium. This is because the cloth on which the treasurer counted money was chequered like a chessboard.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)