noun
exchequer
ehks-CHEH-k
noun
1
A government department responsible for managing public revenue and finances.
"The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer sets the annual budget."
2
An available supply of money, especially for a particular purpose.
"The club's exchequer couldn't stretch to another signing this season."
How to Use Exchequer
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe government's treasury, or more casually, one's available funds.
UK vs US
Mainly a British and Commonwealth term; the US equivalent department is the Treasury.
Common pairings
Chancellor of the Exchequer
the public exchequer
Word Forms
exchequered past tense, exchequers plural, exchequers singular
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The UK Chancellor of the _____ sets the annual budget.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman escheker, "chessboard," from Medieval Latin scaccarium — so named because medieval treasurers counted money on a chequered cloth resembling a chessboard.