British Dictionary definitions for investment Expand

(economics) the amount by which the stock of capital (plant, machinery, materials, etc) in an enterprise or economy changes

(biology) the outer layer or covering of an organ, part, or organism

the act of investing or state of being invested, as with an official robe, a specific quality, etc

(rare) the act of besieging with military forces, works, etc

Word Origin and History for investment Expand

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.

investment in Culture Expand

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

Read the original here:
Investment | Define Investment at Dictionary.com