seigniorage

or seign·or·age

[ seen-yer-ij ]

/ ˈsin yər ɪdʒ /

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noun

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.

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Origin of seigniorage

1400–50; late Middle English seigneurage<Middle French seignorage, seigneurage;see seigneur, -age

Words nearby seigniorage

seif dune, Seifert, seigneur, seigneury, seignior, seigniorage, seigniory, seignorial, seik, Seilenos, seine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use seigniorage in a sentence

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a seigniorage tax?
Manual of References and Exercises in Economics|Frank A. Fetter
All commodities of export would fall in price at once, or fail to rise, to the extent of the seigniorage.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
Now the immediate effect of a seigniorage would be, as Professor Fisher points out, a readjustment of the par of foreign exchange.
Readings in Money and Banking|Chester Arthur Phillips
It is on this principle that paper money circulates; the whole charge for paper money may be considered a seigniorage.
The Value of Money|Benjamin M. Anderson, Jr.

Seigniorage is the right the ruler or state has to charge for coinage, or it is the charge made for coinage.
The Principles of Economics|Frank A. Fetter

British Dictionary definitions for seigniorage

seigniorage

/ (ˈseɪnjərɪdʒ) /

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012