investment

[in-vest-muh nt] /ɪnˈvɛst mənt/
noun
1.
the investing of money or capital in order to gain profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value.
2.
a particular instance or mode of investing.
3.
a thing invested in, as a business, a quantity of shares of stock, etc.
4.
something that is invested; sum invested.
5.
the act or fact of investing or state of being invested, as with a garment.
6.
a devoting, using, or giving of time, talent, emotional energy, etc., as for a purpose or to achieve something:
His investment in the project included more time than he cared to remember.
7.
Biology. any covering, coating, outer layer, or integument, as of an animal or vegetable.
8.
the act of investing with a quality, attribute, etc.
9.
investiture with an office, dignity, or right.
10.
a siege or blockade; the surrounding of a place with military forces or works, as in besieging.
11.
Also called investment compound. Metallurgy. a refractory material applied in a plastic state to a pattern to make a mold.
12.
Archaic. a garment or vestment.
Origin
1590-1600 for def 12; 1605-15 for def 1; invest + -ment
Related forms
nonreinvestment, noun
overinvestment, noun
preinvestment, noun
proinvestment, adjective
reinvestment, noun
Examples from the web for investments
  • It reinforces our conviction that strategic investments can make a huge difference in poor people's lives.
  • Unless you're rich enough to live off your investments, there is no alternative.
  • investments and real estate income also account for a sizable portion of revenue.
  • No matter how few the themes upon which tendency-wit may play, its forms and investments are manifold.
  • He had also lost a small fortune in stock and wool investments.
  • Solar thermal is one of the best investments you can make to reduce your water-heating bills.
  • These capital investments have led to leaner balance sheets and more profits for these leading companies.
  • And, because governments generally flood disaster areas with money, there's no dearth of cash for new investments.
  • Private-equity firms collectively make hundreds of billions of dollars in investments every year.
  • They also play a critical role in channelling savings into productive investments.
British Dictionary definitions for investments

investment

/ɪnˈvɛstmənt/
noun
1.
  1. the act of investing money
  2. the amount invested
  3. an enterprise, asset, etc, in which money is or can be invested
2.
  1. the act of investing effort, resources, etc
  2. the amount invested
3.
(economics) the amount by which the stock of capital (plant, machinery, materials, etc) in an enterprise or economy changes
4.
(biology) the outer layer or covering of an organ, part, or organism
5.
a less common word for investiture (sense 1)
6.
the act of investing or state of being invested, as with an official robe, a specific quality, etc
7.
(rare) the act of besieging with military forces, works, etc
Word Origin and History for investments

investment

n.

1590s, "act of putting on vestments" (a sense now found in investiture); later "act of being invested with an office, right, endowment, etc." (1640s); and "surrounding and besieging of a military target" (1811); see invest + -ment. Commercial sense is from 1610s, originally of the finances of the East India Company; general use is from 1740 in the sense of "conversion of money to property in hopes of profit," and by 1837 in the sense "amount of money so invested; property viewed as a vehicle for profit." For evolution of commercial senses, see invest.

investments in Culture

investment definition


The purchase of property with the expectation that its value will increase over time.