I. ˈeksˌchekə(r) also iksˈch- or eksˈch- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English escheker, eschequer, from Anglo-French escheker, eschekier, from Old French eschequier chessboard, counting table — more at checker
1. usually capitalized : a department or office of state in medieval England charged with the collection and management of the royal revenue and the judicial determination of all revenue causes
2. usually capitalized : a former superior court having jurisdiction in England and Wales primarily over revenue matters but also over causes in equity and a concurrent jurisdiction with the courts of common law and now forming a division of the Court of King's Bench
3. often capitalized
a. : the department or office of state in Great Britain and Northern Ireland charged with the receipt and care of the national revenue and headed by a chancellor
b. : the national banking account or purse of this realm
4. : treasury ; especially : a national or royal treasury
5. : pecuniary possessions or resources : purse , finances
the exchequer is low just now
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to proceed against in the Court of Exchequer