Finance Comes From the Word for Ending a Debt
Finance is the management of money. The root is the French for end, because settling a debt is how a transaction ends.
Finance covers the handling of money: raising it, lending it, investing it. The word grows from Old French *finer*, to settle or pay, from *fin*, an end. A debt paid is a matter finished, and finance is the business of finishing.
- The management of money. *A career in finance.*
- Money provided for a purpose. *Finance for the project.*
- To provide money. *The bank financed the purchase.*
- Finances — someone's money situation. *His finances improved.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | finance | Corporate finance. |
| Plural | finances | Household finances. |
| Verb | finance | Finance the build. |
| Adjective | financial | Financial advice. |
| Person | financier | A property financier. |
How it is used in a sentence
- She works in finance.The industry, uncountable.
- They secured finance for the extension.British usage for funding.
- Our finances are in better shape this year.Plural for a personal or company position.
Finance, funding and investment
- Finance — money supplied, usually to be repaid
- Funding — money supplied, often without repayment (grants)
- Investment — money put in expecting a return
- Credit — the ability to borrow
- Capital — the money a business works with
From Old French *finance*, a payment or ransom, from *finer*, to end or settle, from *fin*, end, from Latin *finis*. The modern sense of managing money grew in the eighteenth century.
Where is the stress in *finance*?
Both FI-nance and fi-NANCE are used. British speakers tend to stress the first syllable for the noun, Americans the second.
Finance or funding?
Finance usually implies repayment or return. Funding often means money given for a purpose, especially by a public body or a charity.