fiscal

1 of 2

adjective

fis·​cal ˈfi-skəl 

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

ˈfi-skə-lē 

adverb

fiscal

2 of 2

noun

1

: revenue stamp

2

: fiscal year

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.

Synonyms

Adjective

• dollars-and-cents
• financial
• monetary
• pecuniary
• pocket

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

Adjective

The comptroller serves as the city government’s internal fiscal watchdog and is tasked with auditing agencies, reviewing contracts and overseeing the municipal pension funds, among other responsibilities. —Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 12 Dec. 2024

Asked directly about the potential dueling priorities, Trump doubled-down on Musk, one of the most generous fiscal backers of his campaign and affiliates. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024

Noun

However, there’s a lot more to Disney’s business, including theme parks, TV, and sports entertainment, which brought in a total of $67 billion in revenue over the last fiscal. —Trefis Team, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024

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

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

Phrases Containing fiscal

• fiscal conservative
• fiscal year

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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 

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