Finance

Pronunciation

• enPR: fÄ«năns
• IPA: /ˈfaɪ.næns/, /fəˈnæns/
• Hyphenation: fi + nance
• Rhymes: -æns

Origin

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.

Online Etymology Dictionary

American Heritage 2000

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.

Full definition of finance

Noun

1. The management of money and other assets.
• 1908, Aristotle, The works of Aristotle translated into English, 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.
• 2013-06-01, End of the peer show, Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.
2. The science of management of money and other assets.
3. (usually in plural) Monetary resources, especially those of a public entity or a company.
   Who's really in charge of a democracy's finances?

Derived terms

• corporate finance
• financial
• personal finance
• public finance

Verb

1. To provide or obtain funding for a transaction or undertaking; to back; to support.His parents financed his college education.He financed his home purchase through a local credit union.