economus

Economus is a term historically used to denote a steward or administrator responsible for managing property, resources, or finances within an estate or organization. Derived from Greek oikonomos, meaning "household manager" (from oikos, house, and nomos, law or arrangement), the form economus is a Latinized or later Renaissance rendition of the same concept. In classical and medieval sources, economus appears as a title for stewards who oversaw an estate, monastery, city revenues, or royal households. In Byzantine and medieval Latin contexts, the role was similar to a treasurer or administrator of fiscal affairs.

In modern English, economus is extremely rare and is typically encountered only in discussions of historical administration, classical studies, or specific theological or literary works that preserve neo-Latin spellings. The more common contemporary terms are oikonomos (in scholarly discussion of Greek administration), economist, steward, or treasurer, depending on context. The related noun economy (from the Greek oikonomia) and the concept of economic management in organizational theory are separate usages that derive from the same linguistic root.

See also: oikonomos, oikonomia, economy, steward, treasurer.