Adjacent Words

Exchequer definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

EXCHEQ'UER, n. exchek'er.
In England, an ancient court of record, intended principally to collect and superintend the king's debts and duties or revenues, and so called from scaccharium, or from the same root, denoting a checkered cloth, which covers the table. In consists of two divisions: the receipt of the exchequer, which manages the royal revenue; and the judicial part, which is divided into a court of law and a court of equity. The court of equity is held in the exchequer chamber, before the lord treasurer, the chancellor of the exchequer, the chief baron and three inferior barons. The common law court is held before the barons, without the treasurer or chancellor.
Exchequer-bills, in England, bills for money, or promissory bills, issued from the exchequer; a species of paper currency emitted under the authority of the government and bearing interest.
EXCHEQ'UER, v.t. To institute a process against a person in the court of exchequer.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the funds of a government or institution or individual [syn: treasury, exchequer]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English escheker, from Anglo-French, chessboard, counting table, exchequer — more at checker Date: 14th century 1. capitalized a department or office of state in medieval England charged with the collection and management of the royal revenue and judicial determination of all revenue causes 2. capitalized a former superior court having jurisdiction in England and Wales primarily over revenue matters and now merged with King's Bench 3. often capitalized a. the department or office of state in Great Britain and Northern Ireland charged with the receipt and care of the national revenue b. the national banking account of this realm 4. treasury; especially a national or royal treasury 5. pecuniary resources ; funds

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 Brit. the former government department in charge of national revenue. Usage: Its functions now belong to the Treasury, although the name formally survives, esp. in the title Chancellor of the Exchequer. 2 a royal or national treasury. 3 the money of a private individual or group. Etymology: ME f. AF escheker, OF eschequier f. med.L scaccarium chessboard (its orig. sense, with ref. to keeping accounts on a chequered cloth)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Exchequer Ex*cheq"uer, n. [OE. escheker, OF. eichekier, fr. LL. scaccarium. See Checker, Chess, Check.] 1. One of the superior courts of law; -- so called from a checkered cloth, which covers, or formerly covered, the table. [Eng.] Note: The exchequer was a court of law and equity. In the revenue department, it had jurisdiction over the proprietary rights of the crown against subjects; in the common law department, it administered justice in personal actions between subject and subject. A person proceeding against another in the revenue department was said to exchequer him. The judges of this court were one chief and four puisne barons, so styled. The Court of Exchequer Chamber sat as court of error in which the judgments of each of the superior courts of common law, in England, were subject to revision by the judges of the other two sitting collectively. Causes involving difficult questions of law were sometimes after argument, adjourned into this court from the other courts, for debate before judgment in the court below. Recent legislation in England (1880) has abolished the Court of Exchequer and the Court of Exchequer Chamber, as distinct tribunals, a single board of judiciary, the High Court of Justice, being established for the trial of all classes of civil cases. --Wharton. 2. The department of state having charge of the collection and management of the royal revenue. [Eng.] Hence, the treasury; and, colloquially, pecuniary possessions in general; as, the company's exchequer is low. Barons of the exchequer. See under Baron. Chancellor of the exchequer. See under Chancellor. Exchequer bills or bonds (Eng.), bills of money, or promissory bills, issued from the exchequer by authority of Parliament; a species of paper currency emitted under the authority of the government, and bearing interest.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Exchequer Ex*cheq"uer, n. [OE. escheker, OF. eichekier, fr. LL. scaccarium. See Checker, Chess, Check.] 1. One of the superior courts of law; -- so called from a checkered cloth, which covers, or formerly covered, the table. [Eng.] Note: The exchequer was a court of law and equity. In the revenue department, it had jurisdiction over the proprietary rights of the crown against subjects; in the common law department, it administered justice in personal actions between subject and subject. A person proceeding against another in the revenue department was said to exchequer him. The judges of this court were one chief and four puisne barons, so styled. The Court of Exchequer Chamber sat as court of error in which the judgments of each of the superior courts of common law, in England, were subject to revision by the judges of the other two sitting collectively. Causes involving difficult questions of law were sometimes after argument, adjourned into this court from the other courts, for debate before judgment in the court below. Recent legislation in England (1880) has abolished the Court of Exchequer and the Court of Exchequer Chamber, as distinct tribunals, a single board of judiciary, the High Court of Justice, being established for the trial of all classes of civil cases. --Wharton. 2. The department of state having charge of the collection and management of the royal revenue. [Eng.] Hence, the treasury; and, colloquially, pecuniary possessions in general; as, the company's exchequer is low. Barons of the exchequer. See under Baron. Chancellor of the exchequer. See under Chancellor. Exchequer bills or bonds (Eng.), bills of money, or promissory bills, issued from the exchequer by authority of Parliament; a species of paper currency emitted under the authority of the government, and bearing interest.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Exchequer Ex*cheq"uer, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Exchequered; p. pr. & vb. n. Exchequering.] To institute a process against (any one) in the Court of Exchequer.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

The Exchequer is the department in the British government which is responsible for receiving, issuing, and accounting for money belonging to the state. N-PROPER: the N

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