fiat
fiat Lexical Profile
fiat Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Issued, established, or made legal by an authoritative decree, especially denoting paper money or currency that is made legal tender by government order rather than backed by a physical commodity such as gold.
"Most modern national economies rely on fiat currency managed by a central bank."
• noun
An official, authoritative, or arbitrary order, decree, or proclamation issued by a ruler or person in authority.
"The new trade restrictions were imposed by presidential fiat without prior legislative debate."
Government-issued currency that is not backed by a physical commodity such as gold or silver.
"Many investors moved their savings out of digital assets and back into traditional fiat during the market downturn."
Formal authorization, sanction, or permission granted for an official action or legal proceeding.
"The prosecutor had to obtain the attorney general's fiat before bringing the case before the high court."
• verb
To ordain, establish, or authorize by an official decree or fiat.
"The council cannot simply fiat a solution to a complex economic problem."
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Latin 'fiat', meaning 'let it be done' (used at the beginning of medieval royal decrees and in the Vulgate command 'fiat lux', 'let there be light'), the third-person singular present subjunctive of 'fieri' ('to be done' or 'to become').