pecuniary
Definitions
Relating to or consisting of money; financial.
金钱的，财务的，金钱上的。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedpecūnia (money — itself from pecū 'cattle,' the original measure of wealth) + -ary (relating to) = 'relating to money.' It is the most literal heir of the root: where the Romans once counted wealth in livestock, pecuniary now simply means 'monetary.'
Root pecun still carries 4 more wordsUsage Guide
Formal, common in law, finance, and academic prose. Typical pairings: pecuniary interest (a financial stake that may bias you), pecuniary gain/loss, pecuniary advantage, pecuniary penalty. In everyday speech people say 'financial' or 'money'; reach for pecuniary when you want a precise, lawyerly register, especially about amounts owed, gained, or lost.
Example Sentences
- 1.
A judge must declare any pecuniary interest in a case.
- 2.
He suffered serious pecuniary loss after the company collapsed.
- 3.
They volunteered with no expectation of pecuniary reward.
Easily Confused
pecuniary vs financial vs monetary — financial is the broad everyday word (financial planning, financial trouble); monetary is about money supply/policy (monetary policy, monetary value); pecuniary is narrow and formal, almost always about money as a measurable gain, loss, or interest, especially in legal settings. You wouldn't say 'pecuniary policy.'