pecun

From Latin pecūnia 'money,' which grew out of pecū(s) 'cattle, livestock' — in early pastoral Rome, a person's wealth was literally their herd. From pecūnia come pecuniary 'relating to money' and impecunious 'without money, poor.' From the related pecūlium 'private property (originally a slave's own cattle/savings)' come peculate 'to embezzle' and, surprisingly, peculiar — first 'belonging to oneself,' then 'distinctive,' then 'strange.' The Germanic cousin of pecū is English fee.