Word: coffer (noun)

Associations

A "coffer" is a strong box or chest used to store money or valuables. It often refers to a treasury or funds, especially in a formal or old-fashioned way.

• In history, kings kept their gold and jewels in coffers to keep them safe.
• In modern use, a company’s coffers means its available money or budget.
• When someone says "the city’s coffers are empty," it means the city has no money left. A well-known synonym is "safe." The difference is that a safe is usually a modern, secure box, often with a lock or combination, while a coffer can be older or more decorative and sometimes refers more to funds than the physical box.

Substitution

You can replace "coffer" with:

• "treasury" when talking about a place or system holding money.
• "funds" when referring to available money.
• "strongbox" or "chest" when emphasizing the physical container. Changing the word may shift the focus from physical container to the money inside or vice versa.

Deconstruction

The word "coffer" comes from Old French "cofre," which means a box or chest, and from Latin "cophinus," meaning basket. It originally referred to a container for storing valuables. There is no prefix or suffix here; it is a simple noun.

Inquiry

• Can you think of a place or situation where you might use the word "coffer" to describe money or valuables?
• How would you explain "coffer" to someone who only knows the word "safe"?
• Have you ever seen or used a box or chest that could be called a coffer? What was inside?