Mon"ey (?), n.; pl.
Moneys (#). [OE. moneie, OF. moneie,
F. monnaie, fr. L. moneta. See Mint place where
coin is made, Mind, and cf. Moidore, Monetary.]
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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. ).
Money bill (Legislation), a bill for
raising revenue. -- Money broker, a broker
who deals in different kinds of money; one who buys and sells bills
of exchange; -- called also money changer. --
Money cowrie (Zoöl.), any one of
several species of Cypræa (esp. C. moneta)
formerly much used as money by savage tribes. See Cowrie.
-- Money of account, a denomination of value
used in keeping accounts, for which there may, or may not, be an
equivalent coin; e. g., the mill is a money of account
in the United States, but not a coin. -- Money
order, an order for the payment of money; specifically,
a government order for the payment of money, issued at one post
office as payable at another; -- called also postal money
order. -- Money scrivener, a person
who procures the loan of money to others. [Eng.] --
Money spider, Money spinner
(Zoöl.), a small spider; -- so called as being
popularly supposed to indicate that the person upon whom it crawls
will be fortunate in money matters. -- Money's
worth, a fair or full equivalent for the money which is
paid. -- A piece of money, a single
coin. -- Ready money, money held ready for
payment, or actually paid, at the time of a transaction; cash. -
- To make money, to gain or acquire money or
property; to make a profit in dealings.