fiscal

1 of 2

adjective

fis·​cal ˈfi-skəl How to pronounce fiscal (audio)
1
: of or relating to taxation, public revenues, or public debt
fiscal policy
the city's fiscal requirements
2
: of or relating to financial matters
fiscal transactions
fiscally adverb

fiscal

2 of 2

noun

Did you know?

Fiscal derives from the Latin noun fiscus, meaning "basket" or "treasury." In ancient Rome, fiscus was the term for the treasury controlled by the emperor, where the money was literally stored in baskets and was collected primarily in the form of revenue from the provinces. Fiscus also gave English confiscate, which is most familiar as a verb meaning "to seize by or as if by authority," but it can additionally refer to the forfeiting of private property to public use. Today, we often encounter fiscal in "fiscal year," a 12-month accounting period not necessarily coinciding with the calendar year.

Examples of fiscal in a Sentence

Adjective the fiscal health of the university gained some fiscal knowledge by taking an economics course
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Evans added that fiscal responsibility has been a core value for the city, with reserves remaining strong despite record-high budgets. Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024 This follows the initial revenue recognition in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024
Noun
This is substantiated by the fact that the company’s gross margin in business has largely remained intact in the nine months of operations in the current fiscal at ~45% as compared to the last fiscal. Trefis Team, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 Its imports from Moscow in the last fiscal until February were nearly 15 times its shipments back to Russia, according to India’s trade ministry data. Mimansa Verma, Quartz, 11 May 2023 See all Example Sentences for fiscal 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Latin fiscalis, from fiscus basket, treasury

First Known Use

Adjective

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fiscal was in 1563

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Dictionary Entries Near fiscal

Cite this Entry

“Fiscal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiscal. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

fiscal

adjective
fis·​cal
ˈfis-kəl
1
: of or relating to public finances
2
: of or relating to financial matters
fiscally
-kə-lē
adverb

Legal Definition

fiscal

adjective
fis·​cal ˈfis-kəl How to pronounce fiscal (audio)
1
: of or relating to taxation, public revenues, or public debt
fiscal policy
2
: of or relating to financial matters
fiscally adverb
Etymology

Adjective

Latin fiscalis, from fiscus basket, treasury

More from Merriam-Webster on fiscal

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