def·i·cit

[def-uh-sit; British also dih-fis-it]
noun
1.
the amount by which a sum of money falls short of the required amount.
2.
the amount by which expenditures or liabilities exceed income or assets.
3.
a lack or shortage; deficiency.
4.
a disadvantage, impairment, or handicap: The team's major deficit is its poor pitching.
5.
a loss, as in the operation of a business.

Origin:
1775–85; < Latin dēficit (it) lacks, 3rd person singular present indicative of dēficere; see deficient

su·per·def·i·cit, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To deficit
00:10
Deficit is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Collins
World English Dictionary
deficit (ˈdɛfɪsɪt, dɪˈfɪsɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the amount by which an actual sum is lower than that expected or required
2.  a.  an excess of liabilities over assets
 b.  an excess of expenditures over revenues during a certain period
 c.  an excess of payments over receipts on the balance of payments
 
[C18: from Latin, literally: there is lacking, from dēficere to be lacking]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

deficit
1782, from Fr. deficit (1690), from L. deficit "it is wanting," an introductory word in clauses of inventory, third pers. sing. pres. indicative of deficere "to be deficient" (see deficient).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

deficit def·i·cit (děf'ĭ-sĭt)
n.

  1. A lack or deficiency of a substance.

  2. A lack or impairment in mental or physical functioning.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

deficit definition


A shortage, especially the amount by which a sum of money falls short of what is required; a debt.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Let's face it, my losses were small potatoes compared with the federal deficit.
Gore had to pay for them by starting his campaign with a huge deficit.
Reality deficit disorder justifies deformed decisions creating economic cloudy
  days.
Simply because a deficit enhances our capability in another area, does not make
  it any less of a disfunction.
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