invest

[in-vest] /ɪnˈvɛst/
verb (used with object)
1.
to put (money) to use, by purchase or expenditure, in something offering potential profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value.
2.
to use (money), as in accumulating something:
to invest large sums in books.
3.
to use, give, or devote (time, talent, etc.), as for a purpose or to achieve something:
He invested a lot of time in helping retarded children.
4.
to furnish with power, authority, rank, etc.:
The Constitution invests the president with the power of veto.
5.
to furnish or endow with a power, right, etc.; vest:
Feudalism invested the lords with absolute authority over their vassals.
6.
to endow with a quality or characteristic:
to invest a friend with every virtue.
7.
to infuse or belong to, as a quality or characteristic:
Goodness invests his every action.
8.
Metallurgy. to surround (a pattern) with an investment.
9.
to provide with the insignia of office.
10.
to install in an office or position.
11.
to clothe, attire, or dress.
12.
to cover, adorn, or envelop:
Spring invests the trees with leaves.
13.
to surround (a place) with military forces or works so as to prevent approach or escape; besiege.
verb (used without object)
14.
to invest money; make an investment:
to invest in oil stock.
Origin
1525-35; < Medieval Latin investīre to install, invest (money), surround, clothe in, Latin: to clothe in, equivalent to in- in-2 + vestīre to clothe, derivative of vestis garment; see vest
Related forms
investor, noun
noninvestor, noun
overinvest, verb
preinvest, verb (used with object)
reinvest, verb (used with object)
underinvest, verb (used without object)
underinvested, adjective
uninvested, adjective
well-invested, adjective
Can be confused
infect, infest, invest.
Examples from the web for invest
  • How you invest your money depends on what you think is going to happen to the global economy.
  • We need to invest in transmission lines and power generation immediately if electric cars are to be sold.
  • They should borrow money in the bond market and invest the proceeds in shares.
  • If your values include travel and a certain testing of your abilities and limits, you should invest time and money to do that.
  • If you are being paid to invest other people's money, you are working, and that's income from labor.
  • In addition the managers invest a lot of their own money alongside that of their clients.
  • Low growth rates mean whatever money workers invest will grow slowly.
  • Businessmen grumble that they cannot raise money to invest in the state, whereas before they spirited their capital out of it.
  • There are so many causes and issues that money could be put to good use or to invest for our retirement.
  • Specifically and simply if you over-invest in something you stand to loose money.
British Dictionary definitions for invest

invest

/ɪnˈvɛst/
verb
1.
(often foll by in) to lay out (money or capital in an enterprise, esp by purchasing shares) with the expectation of profit
2.
(transitive) often foll by in. to devote (effort, resources, etc, to a project)
3.
(transitive; often foll by in or with) (mainly archaic) to clothe or adorn (in some garment, esp the robes of an office): to invest a king in the insignia of an emperor
4.
(transitive) often foll by in. to install formally or ceremoniously (in an official position, rank, etc)
5.
(transitive; foll by in or with) to place (power, authority, etc, in) or provide (with power or authority): to invest new rights in the monarchy
6.
(transitive; usually passive; foll by in or with) to provide or endow (a person with qualities, characteristics, etc): he was invested with great common sense
7.
generally (poetic) (transitive) foll by with. to cover or adorn, as if with a coat or garment: when spring invests the trees with leaves
8.
(transitive) (rare) to surround with military forces; besiege
9.
(informal) (intransitive) foll by in. to purchase; buy
Derived Forms
investable, investible, adjective
investor, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Medieval Latin investīre to clothe, from Latin, from vestīre, from vestis a garment
Word Origin and History for invest
v.

late 14c., "to clothe in the official robes of an office," from Latin investire "to clothe in, cover, surround," from in "in, into" (see in- (2)) + vestire "to dress, clothe" (see wear). The meaning "use money to produce profit" first attested 1610s in connection with the East Indies trade, and is probably a borrowing of Italian investire (13c.) from the same Latin root, via the notion of giving one's capital a new form. The military meaning "to besiege" is from c.1600. Related: Invested; investing.