Treasure Meaning
/ˈtɹɛʒə/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA collection of valuable things; accumulated wealth; a stock of money, jewels, etc.
nounAnything greatly valued.
Sentence Examples
The pirates buried their treasure in the ground.
We were looking for buried treasure.
There were reports that a pirate ship had come looking for treasure in the cove.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The museum displayed an ancient crown made of gold and diamonds, a priceless ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The children found a small metal box in the garden and they were excited to think that it was a buried ____ today.
Word Origin & History
Inherited from Middle English tresour, from Old French tresor (“treasury”), from Latin thēsaurus (“treasure”), from Ancient Greek θησαυρός (thēsaurós, “treasure house”). Mostly displaced native Old English goldhord (See goldhoard) and Old English ġestrēon. Doublet of thesaurus.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It seems there was a worm that slept upon a pile of treasure, which it had zealously heaped up under a stone bluff."
— 1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 39:
""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."
— 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter XX, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
"Ye shall be peculiar treasure unto me."
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 19:5:
"You have ſent me a Treaſure, and I vvould not ſhare time to tell you ſo, till I had ſomevvhat ſatisfied the thirſt I had to drink dovvn many of thoſe Excellent Sermons, vvhich I have ſo long deſired: […]"
— 1640 July 30 (date written; Gregorian calendar), [John Towers], “Upon the Sending of the First Volume of These Sermons to the Right Reverend Father in God, the Bishop of Peterborough, then My Diocesan, I Received This Letter”, in John Donne, XXVI. Sermons (Never before Publish’d) Preached by that Learned and Reverend Divine John Donne, […] The Third Volume, London: […] Thomas Newcomb, […], published 1661, →OCLC:
"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."
— 1681, Nahum Tate, The History of King Lear:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The museum displayed an ancient crown made of gold and diamonds, a priceless ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The children found a small metal box in the garden and they were excited to think that it was a buried ____ today.