percent

[per-sent] /pərˈsɛnt/
noun
1.
Also called per centum. one one-hundredth part; 1/100.
2.
percentage (defs 1, 3).
3.
British. stocks, bonds, etc., that bear an indicated rate of interest.
adjective
4.
figured or expressed on the basis of a rate or proportion per hundred (used in combination with a number in expressing rates of interest, proportions, etc.): to get three percent interest. Symbol: %.
Also, per cent.
Origin
1560-70; short for Medieval Latin per centum by the hundred. See per, cent
Related forms
percental, adjective
Can be confused
percent, percentage, percentile (see usage note at the current entry)
Usage note
Percent is from the Latin adverbial phrase per centum meaning “by the hundred.” The Latin phrase entered English in the 16th century. Later, it was abbreviated per cent. with a final period. Eventually, the period was dropped and the two parts merged to produce the modern one-word form percent. The two-word form per cent is still used occasionally, but its use is diminishing. The percent sign (%) is used chiefly in scientific, tabular, or statistical material and only with numerals preceding it: 58%; a range of 30% to 40%.
In the senses “rate or proportion per hundred” and “proportion in general” percent and percentage are frequently interchangeable. With a preceding number, only percent occurs (a 16 percent decline); with no preceding number, either occurs, but percentage is much more common: a certain percentage (or percent) of the land.
Examples from the web for percent
  • Ninety-five percent of the park is designated as wilderness.
  • Ninety percent of the world's oceans remain unexplored.
  • Today, the technology produces less than one tenth of one percent of global energy demand.
  • Levels of the gas gradually climbed, reaching about one percent around two billion years ago.
  • For instance, spending on tobacco products has decreased by twenty three percent.
  • Thirty-four percent of owners surveyed said they expect their sales to fall in the next three months.
  • Seventy-five percent of us die from cardiovascular disease, cancer, or stroke.
  • Eleven percent of likely primary voters are undecided.
  • Twenty percent of voters either want another candidate or were undecided.
  • The typical spend rate for endowed nonprofits is in the five-percent range.
Word Origin and History for percent

1560s, per cent, from Modern Latin per centum "by the hundred" (see per and hundred). Until early 20c. often treated as an abbreviation and punctuated accordingly.

percent in Science
percent also per cent
  (pər-sěnt')   
One part in a hundred. For example, 62 percent (also written 62%) means 62 parts out of 100.
percent in Culture

percent definition


A fraction expressed as a number of hundredths. Twelve percent of a quantity, for example, is twelve one-hundredths of it. Twelve percent may also be written 12%.

percent in Technology


%
Common: ITU-T: percent sign; mod; grapes. INTERCAL: double-oh-seven.
(1995-03-06)