money

noun

1. A legally or socially binding conceptual contract of entitlement to wealth, void of intrinsic value, payable for all debts and taxes, and regulated in supply.
2. A generally accepted means of exchange and measure of value.“Before colonial times cowry shells imported from Mauritius were used as money in Western Africa.”
3. A currency maintained by a state or other entity which can guarantee its value (such as a monetary union).“money supply;  money market”
4. Hard cash in the form of banknotes and coins, as opposed to cheques/checks, credit cards, or credit more generally.