seigniorage
Americannoun
-
something claimed by a sovereign or superior as a prerogative.
-
a charge on bullion brought to the mint to be coined.
-
the difference between the cost of the bullion plus minting expenses and the value as money of the pieces coined, constituting a source of government revenue.
noun
-
something claimed by a sovereign or superior as a prerogative, right, or due
-
a fee payable to a government for coining bullion
-
the difference in value between the cost of bullion and the face value of the coin made from it
Etymology
Origin of seigniorage
1400–50; late Middle English seigneurage < Middle French seignorage, seigneurage; see seigneur, -age
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Last year, it cost the mint 1.5 cents to produce a penny, creating what in the coin world is known as negative seigniorage.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2017
Mr Rogoff thinks that scrapping physical money would reduce seigniorage revenues.
From Economist ● Sep. 18, 2014
The savings result from the fact that dollar coins generate more seigniorage — the government’s profit from issuing money that costs less to produce than its face value.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 16, 2012
That 7.5 percentage point gap between face value and actual silver content represented seigniorage to the crown.
From Slate ● Mar. 12, 2012
However this may have been, governmental paper money may be looked upon as money for which a seigniorage of one hundred per cent is charged.
From Modern Economic Problems Economics Volume II by Fetter, Frank Albert
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
