treasure

See also: Treasure

English

Alternative forms

• treasuer (chiefly archaic)

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French tresor (“treasury”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin thēsaurus (“treasure”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Ancient Greek θησαυρός (thēsaurós, “treasure house”). Displaced native Middle English schat.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɹɛʒɚ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈtɹɛʒə/
• Hyphenation: treas‧ure

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛʒə(ɹ)

Noun

treasure (countable and uncountable, plural treasures)

1. (uncountable) A collection of valuable things; accumulated wealth; a stock of money, jewels, etc.
   • 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 20, in Treasure Island:

     "Now," resumed Silver, "here it is. You give us the chart to get the treasure by, and drop shooting poor seamen and stoving of their heads in while asleep. You do that, and we'll offer you a choice. Either you come aboard along of us, once the treasure shipped, and then I'll give you my affy-davy, upon my word of honour, to clap you somewhere safe ashore.

2. (countable) Anything greatly valued.
   • Bible, Exodus xix. 5

     Ye shall be peculiar treasure unto me.

   • 1681, Nahum Tate, The History of King Lear

     I found the whole to answer your Account of it, a Heap of Jewels, unstrung and unpolisht; yet so dazling in their Disorder, that I soon perceiv'd I had seiz'd a Treasure.

   • 1946, Ernest Tubb, Filipino Baby

     She's my Filipino baby she's my treasure and my pet

     Her teeth are bright and pearly and her hair is black as jet

3. (countable) A term of endearment.
   • 1922, Francis Rufus Bellamy, A Flash of Gold

     "Hello, Treasure," he said without turning round. For a second she hesitated, standing in the soft light of the lamp, the deep blue of the rug making a background for her, the black fur collar of her coat framing the vivid beauty of her face.

Related terms

• treasury

Translations

collection of valuable things

• Afrikaans: skat
• Albanian: thesar (sq) m
• Arabic: كَنْز (kanz)

  Egyptian Arabic: كنز m (kinz)

  Hijazi Arabic: كَنْز m (kanz)

• Armenian: գանձ (hy) (ganj)
• Azerbaijani: xəzinə (az)
• Bashkir: хазина (xazina)
• Basque: altxor
• Belarusian: скарб m (skarb)
• Bengali: সম্পদ (śompod)
• Bulgarian: съкро́вище (bg) n (sǎkróvište), драгоце́нност (bg) f (dragocénnost)
• Burmese: ရတနာ (my) (ra.ta.na)
• Catalan: tresor (ca) m, tesor (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 珍寶／珍宝 (zh) (zhēnbǎo), 珍宝 (zh) (zhēnbǎo), 寶藏／宝藏 (zh), 宝藏 (zh) (bǎozàng), 金銀財寶／金银财宝 (jīnyíncáibǎo), 金银财宝 (jīnyíncáibǎo), 財富／财富 (zh) (cáifù), 财富 (zh) (cáifù)

• Czech: poklad (cs) m
• Danish: skat (da) c
• Dutch: schat (nl) f
• Esperanto: trezoro (eo)
• Estonian: aare
• Finnish: aarre (fi)
• French: trésor (fr) m
• Galician: tesouro m
• Georgian: განძი (ganʒi), საგანძური (saganʒuri)
• German: Schatz (de) m
• Gothic: 𐌷𐌿𐌶𐌳 n (huzd)
• Greek: θησαυρός (el) m (thisavrós)

  Ancient: θησαυρός m (thēsaurós)

• Hebrew: אוֹצָר (he) m (otzar)
• Hindi: ख़िज़ाना f (xizānā)
• Hungarian: kincs (hu)
• Icelandic: fjársjóður (is) m
• Ido: trezoro (io)
• Indonesian: harta (id)
• Irish: taisce f
• Italian: tesoro (it) m
• Japanese: 宝 (ja) (たから, takara), 宝物 (ja) (たからもの, takaramono)
• Kazakh: қазына (kk) (qazyna)
• Khmer: កំណប់ (km) (kɑmnɑp)
• Korean: 보물 (ko) (bomul), 보배 (ko) (bobae)
• Kyrgyz: кенч (kenc)
• Lao: ສົມບັດ (som bat), ຊັບສົມບັດ (sap som bat)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: thesaurus m
• Latvian: dārgums m
• Lithuanian: lobis m
• Macedonian: богатство n (bogatstvo), благо n (blago)
• Malagasy: harena (mg)
• Malay: khazanah (ms)
• Maori: taonga, puiaki, puipuiaki
• Mingrelian: განძი (ganʒi)
• Mongolian: баялаг (mn) (bajalag)
• Norwegian: skatt (no) m
• Occitan: tresaur (oc) m
• Old English: sceatt
• Pashto: خزانه (ps) f (xazāná), کونډال m (konḍā́l), ګنجينه f (ganǰína)
• Persian: گنجینه (fa) (ganjine), گنج (fa) (ganj)
• Polish: skarb (pl) m
• Portuguese: tesouro (pt) m
• Romanian: comoară (ro) f
• Russian: сокро́вище (ru) n (sokróvišče), драгоце́нность (ru) f (dragocénnostʹ), клад (ru) m (klad) (hidden)
• Samoan: ʻoloa
• Sanskrit: कोश (sa) m (kośa)
• Scottish Gaelic: ionmhas m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: благо n, драгоценост f

  Roman: blago (sh) n, dragocenost (sh) f

• Slovak: poklad m
• Slovene: zaklad (sl) m
• Spanish: tesoro (es) m
• Swedish: skatt (sv) c, rikedom (sv)
• Tagalog: kayamunan
• Tajik: ганҷ (ganj), ҷавохирот (javoxirot)
• Tatar: хәзинә (tt) (xäzinä)
• Thai: สมบัติ (th) (sǒm-bàt)
• Turkish: hazine (tr), define (tr)
• Turkmen: hazyna
• Ukrainian: скарб m (skarb)
• Urdu: خزانہ f (xizāna)
• Uyghur: خەزىنە (xezine)
• Uzbek: xazina (uz)
• Vietnamese: kho báu, châu báu (vi)
• Volapük: div (vo)
• Walloon: trezôr (wa) m
• Welsh: trysor (cy) m, amguedd m, amgueddau m pl
• Yiddish: אוצר m (oytser)

any single thing one values greatly

• Bulgarian: драгоце́нност (bg) f (dragocénnost)
• Catalan: tresor (ca) m, tesor (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 瑰寶／瑰宝 (zh) (guībǎo), 瑰宝 (zh) (guībǎo), 財富／财富 (zh) (cáifù), 财富 (zh) (cáifù)

• Finnish: aarre (fi)
• French: trésor (fr) m
• Georgian: ძვირფასეულობა (ʒvirpaseuloba), განძი (ganʒi)
• Greek:

  Ancient: θησαυρός m (thēsaurós)

• Hebrew: אוֹצָר (he) m (otzar)
• Hungarian: kincs (hu)
• Ido: trezoro (io)
• Irish: stór m
• Italian: tesoro (it) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: драгоценост f (dragocenost)
• Maori: ohooho, māpihi, mounga, puiaki, puipuiaki
• Norwegian: skatt (no) m
• Portuguese: tesouro (pt) m
• Romanian: comoară (ro) f
• Russian: драгоце́нность (ru) f (dragocénnostʹ)
• Slovene: zaklad (sl) m
• Spanish: tesoro (es) m
• Turkish: hazine (tr), define (tr)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Walloon: trezôr (wa) m
• Welsh: trysori (cy) m

term of endearment

• Catalan: tresor (ca) m, tesor (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Czech: poklad (cs) m
• Dutch: schat (nl) m
• Finnish: kulta (fi)
• French: trésor (fr) m
• German: Schatz (de) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: drágám (hu), édesem
• Irish: stór m
• Italian: tesoro (it) m
• Norwegian: skatt (no) m
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: tesoro (es) m
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Walloon: trezôr (wa) m, cint-meye m

Verb

1. (transitive, of a person or thing) To consider to be precious; to value highly.

   Oh, this ring is beautiful! I’ll treasure it forever.

   • 1838, Eliza Cook, "The Old Armchair", in Melania and other Poems

     I LOVE it, I love it ; and who shall dare

     To chide me for loving that old Arm-chair ?

     I've treasured it long as a sainted prize ;

     I've bedewed it with tears, and embalmed it with sighs.

2. (transitive) To store or stow in a safe place.
   • 1825, Walter Scott, The Talisman

     The rose-buds, withered as they were, were still treasured under his cuirass, and nearest to his heart.

3. (transitive, obsolete) To enrich.

Synonyms

• (to consider to be precious): cherish

Antonyms

• (to consider to be precious): despise

Translations

consider to be precious

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 珍重 (zh) (zhēnzhòng), 珍視／珍视 (zh) (zhēnshì)

• Finnish: arvostaa (fi), vaalia (fi), säilyttää aarteena
• French: ^{(please verify)} garder précieusement , ^{(please verify)} priser (fr)
• Hungarian: nagyra becsül (hu), sokra tart, becsben tart, nagyra tart, féltve őriz
• Italian: apprezzare (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 重宝する (chōhō suru), 珍重する (ja) (chinchō suru)
• Romanian: prețui (ro)
• Russian: ценить (ru) (cenitʹ)
• Slovak: vážiť si
• Spanish: atesorar (es)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: trysori (cy)

Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun or verb treasure

• buried treasure
• intreasure
• national treasure
• treasure chest
• Treasure County
• treasure flower
• treasure house
• treasure hunt
• treasure map

• treasure ship
• treasure trove
• treasurable
• treasurer
• treasuress
• treasureless
• treasurelike
• treasury
• untreasure

Anagrams

• austerer, treasuer