Etymology Of Word 'Cash'

This is what Wikipedia has to say on the subject.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash

Part of the confusion is derived, I think, from two entirely separate uses of the word "cash" as relating to money.

The simplest to unravel is "Cash" in the sense of traditional Chinese coins: round, cast, with the square hole. These are known as "cash" in English, and this does indeed seem to derive from Ceylonese and Southeast-Asian name for a copper coin, since Western traders would have first came into contact with Chinese cash coins via these intermediaries.

The main English use of the word, meaning "money" in the general sense, seems to derive, via the French "caisse" and/or Iberian "caixa", from the Latin word "capsa", meaning a chest or box - as in mediaeval times, a large amount of money had to be carried around in a strongbox sturdy enough to prevent theft and hold the weight of the coins. Any derivation beyond Latin, through Persian and Indian dialects back to the "kas" mentioned as the origin of the first meaning of "cash", seems to me to be overly speculative; as far as I can tell, a Roman "capsa" would have been used to carry anything needing a sturdy box - coins, weapons, spices, silk, documents - not just "money". A Roman box specifically designed to carry money was called a "fiscus", from which we derive English words such as "fiscal".

Sap: Thank you very much for this clear-up! CCF members never cease to amaze me. Thank you!
Finn235: Needed a moment to get it, but then I laughed so hard my coworkers wanted to know what's so funny. I have rather not started explaining :)