The word exchequer comes from an oblong, cloth-covered table with squares like those on a chequer (checker) board. In times past, the table was used as an abacus using the place value of the squares to tally tax revenues.
ex-dividend  A stock on which the current owner has no right to a declared dividend. When a company declares a dividend, it sets a record date on which a person must hold the stock in order to receive the dividend. When the company sets the record date, the stock exchange set the ex-dividend date, which typically is two business days before the record date. If the stock is purchased on or after its ex-
dividend date, the shareholder is not eligible to receive the next dividend payment. Instead, the dividend payment goes to the seller.