English Explanatory Dictionary

finance

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The management of money and other assets.
  2. The science of management of money and other assets.
  3. Monetary resources, especially those of a public entity or a company.
  4. The provision of a loan, payment instalment terms, or similar arrangement, to enable a customer to purchase an item without paying the full amount straight away.
verb
  1. To conduct, or procure money for, financial operations; manage finances.
  2. To pay ransom.
  3. To manage financially; be financier for; provide or obtain funding for a transaction or undertaking.
  4. To extort ransom from.

Pronunciation

/fɪˈnæns/ /ˈfaɪnæns/ /faɪˈnæns/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-finance.wav

Word forms

finance finances financing financed

Etymology

From Middle English finaunce, from Anglo-Norman, Middle French finance, from finer (“to pay ransom”) (whence also English fine (“to pay a penalty”)), from fin (“end”), from Latin fīnis. Original English sense that appeared c. 1400 was “ending”. The sense of “ending or satisfying a debt” originated from French influence: in the sense of “ransom” appeared in the mid 15th century, in the sense of “taxation” appeared in the late 15th century. In the sense of “manage money” first recorded c. 1770.

Synonyms

fund

Related words

financier

Derived words

antifinance climate finance cofinance decentralized finance financeable finance charge financer financescape financial financialist financially financist finanscape FinOps fintech geofinance high finance megafinance microfinance neurofinance nonfinance nonfinancial overfinance prefinance structured finance technofinance tribunal of first instance nonfinanced part-finance refinance self-finance self-financing underfinance underfinanced unfinanced
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