finance

finance

English

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Pronunciation

enPR: fīnăns
IPA: /ˈfaɪ.næns/, /fəˈnæns/
Hyphenation: fi‧nance
Rhymes: -æns

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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 c. 1400 was “ending”. Sense of “ending/satisfying a debt” came from French influence: in sense of “ransom” mid 15th century, in sense of “taxation” late 15th century. In sense of “manage money” first recorded 1770.

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Noun

finance (plural finances)

1. The management of money and other assets.
¶ 1908, Aristotle, The works of Aristotle translated into English, volume 10, translation of Politics by John Alexander Smith, William David Ross, published 4th Century BCE:
And statesmen as well ought to know these things; for a state is often as much in want of money and of such devices for obtaining it as a household, or even more so; hence some public men devote themselves entirely to finance.

2. The science of management of money and other assets.

3. (usually in plural) the monetary resources, especially those of a public entity or a company.
¶ Who's really in charge of a democracy's finances?

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Derived terms

corporate finance
financial
personal finance
public finance

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http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/finance