budget

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
budget/ˈbʌʤɪt/

▶noun

• 1 an estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time.

  ■ (Budget) a regular estimate of national revenue and expenditure put forward by a finance minister.

• 2 the amount of money needed or available for a purpose.

• 3 archaic a quantity of written or printed material.

▶verb (budgets, budgeting, budgeted) allow a certain amount in a budget. ▶adjective inexpensive: budget holidays.

– derivatives
budgetary adjective.

word history: The word budget entered Middle English from Old French in the sense ‘a leather pouch or bag’. In the 18th century the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, in presenting his annual statement, was said to ‘open the budget’, thus giving rise to the modern financial sense. The word itself comes from Old French bougette, meaning ‘small leather bag’, from Latin bulga ‘leather bag’. Bulge, which also derives from bulga, was similarly first used in the sense ‘leather sack or bag’.