Pecuniarius

Pecuniarius is a Latin adjective meaning relating to money or monetary matters. It is derived from pecunia, the Latin word for money or wealth. In classical and medieval Latin, pecuniarius and its inflected forms—pecuniarius (masculine), pecuniaria (feminine), pecuniarium (neuter)—were used to describe things connected with finances, revenue, or obligations payable in money. A common Latin phrase is poena pecuniaria, literally a monetary penalty.

The term passed into English as pecuniary, a standard legal and financial descriptor. In modern usage, pecuniary describes damages, penalties, interests, or advantages that involve money rather than non-monetary considerations. Examples include pecuniary damages in civil law and pecuniary penalties in regulatory contexts.

Historically, pecuniarius appears in Roman law and later scholastic and canon-law sources to categorize monetary duties and rights. Its semantic scope overlaps with other money-related terms such as pecunia (money) and monetary capacity, though the precise formulations vary across texts.

See also: Pecunia; Pecuniary.