treasure trove

noun

1

: treasure that anyone finds

specifically : gold or silver in the form of money, plate, or bullion which is found hidden and whose ownership is not known

2

: a valuable discovery, resource, or collection

Examples of treasure trove in a Sentence

Divers found a treasure trove of gold and silver in the wreckage of a ship that sank hundreds of years ago.

the ancient city, having been almost perfectly preserved under volcanic ash for nearly 2,000 years, is proving to be a treasure trove of archaeological information

Recent Examples on the Web

Previously, scientists could access a treasure trove of data shared through Twitter’s application programming interface, enabling researchers like Pierri to routinely collect millions of tweets a day for their studies. —Bykai Kupferschmidt, science.org, 31 Oct. 2024

As Brandon Shaw, co-founder and COO of The Tour Guy and an official tour guide of Rome, explains, there’s still a treasure trove of attractions to see. —Rebecca Ann Hughes, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Faint lighting and soft music stage a romantic scene further enhanced by house negronis and a treasure trove of international liquors. —Kayla Stewart, Saveur, 30 Oct. 2024

During its observations, the telescope will catalog 1.5 billion galaxies and the stars within them, collecting a treasure trove of data for astronomers that includes each galaxy’s mass and number of stars created per year. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Anglo-French tresor trové, literally, found treasure

First Known Use

1523, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

treasure trove

noun

-ˈtrōv

: treasure that anyone finds

specifically : gold or silver in the form of money, plate, or bullion that is found hidden and whose ownership is not known

Note: State law determines who is entitled to a treasure trove.