Erário

Erário is a Portuguese noun that refers to the public treasury or the government’s funds. It denotes the pool of resources managed by the state for public administration and services, and it is used to describe the budget as a whole. The term appears in legal and administrative language in expressions such as despesas do erário (public expenditures) and receitas do erário (public revenues).

Etymology and historical usage: The word derives from the Latin aerarium and entered Portuguese through historical usage in the Middle Ages. In Portugal, the term was historically linked to the royal treasury, notably the Erário Régio, the central financial organ of the monarchy. In the Portuguese-speaking world, including Brazil, erário has long designated the treasury at various levels of government, from colonial to contemporary periods.

Modern usage: In contemporary Brazilian law and formal language, erário remains a formal reference to public funds and government finances. It is common in expressions such as dano ao erário or desvio de verbas do erário, which refer to wrongdoing involving public funds. In everyday or non-specialist contexts, more common terms like Tesouro Público or Tesouro Nacional are often used, but erário persists in legal, historical, and ceremonial discourse.

Public finance context: The erário encompasses the system of revenue collection, budgeting, accounting, and disbursement of funds for government programs. It embodies the fiduciary responsibility of public officials to manage and apply public resources properly for the benefit of society.