money Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
- we tried to collect the money he owed us
noun wealth reckoned in terms of money
- all his money is in real estate
noun the official currency issued by a government or national bank
- he changed his money into francs

OE. moneie, OF. moneie, F. monnaie, fr. L. moneta. See Mint place where coin is made, Mind, and cf. Moidore, Monetary.

plural Moneys

A piece of metal, as gold, silver, copper, etc., coined, or stamped, and issued by the sovereign authority as a medium of exchange in financial transactions between citizens and with government; also, any number of such pieces; coin.
To prevent such abuses, ... it has been found necessary ... to affix a public stamp upon certain quantities of such particular metals, as were in those countries commonly made use of to purchase goods. Hence the origin of coined money, and of those public offices called mints. A. Smith.
Any written or stamped promise, certificate, or order, as a government note, a bank note, a certificate of deposit, etc., which is payable in standard coined money and is lawfully current in lieu of it; in a comprehensive sense, any currency usually and lawfully employed in buying and selling. ✍ Whatever, among barbarous nations, is used as a medium of effecting exchanges of property, and in the terms of which values are reckoned, as sheep, wampum, copper rings, quills of salt or of gold dust, shovel blades, etc., is, in common language, called their money.
In general, wealth; property; as, he has much money in land, or in stocks; to make, or lose, money.
The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. 1 Tim vi. 10 (Rev. Ver. ).
4. anything which serves as money, such as a checking account, a credit account, or a letter of credit. Money supply; plastic money