in⋅ter⋅est
[in-ter-ist, -trist]
| 1. | the feeling of a person whose attention, concern, or curiosity is particularly engaged by something: She has a great interest in the poetry of Donne. |
| 2. | something that concerns, involves, draws the attention of, or arouses the curiosity of a person: His interests are philosophy and chess. |
| 3. | power of exciting such concern, involvement, etc.; quality of being interesting: political issues of great interest. |
| 4. | concern; importance: a matter of primary interest. |
| 5. | a business, cause, or the like in which a person has a share, concern, responsibility, etc. |
| 6. | a share, right, or title in the ownership of property, in a commercial or financial undertaking, or the like: He bought half an interest in the store. |
| 7. | a participation in or concern for a cause, advantage, responsibility, etc. |
| 8. | a number or group of persons, or a party, financially interested in the same business, industry, or enterprise: the banking interest. |
| 9. | interests, the group of persons or organizations having extensive financial or business power. |
| 10. | the state of being affected by something in respect to advantage or detriment: We need an arbiter who is without interest in the outcome. |
| 11. | benefit; advantage: to have one's own interest in mind. |
| 12. | regard for one's own advantage or profit; self-interest: The partnership dissolved because of their conflicting interests. |
| 13. | influence from personal importance or capability; power of influencing the action of others. |
| 14. | Finance.
|
| 15. | something added or thrown in above an exact equivalent: Jones paid him back with a left hook and added a right uppercut for interest. |
| 16. | to engage or excite the attention or curiosity of: Mystery stories interested him greatly. |
| 17. | to concern (a person, nation, etc.) in something; involve: The fight for peace interests all nations. |
| 18. | to cause to take a personal concern or share; induce to participate: to interest a person in an enterprise. |
| 19. | to cause to be concerned; affect. |
| 20. | in the interest(s) of, to the advantage or advancement of; in behalf of: in the interests of good government. |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Interest
In"ter*est\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Interested; p. pr. & vb. n. Interesting.] [From interess'd, p. p. of the older form interess, fr. F. int['e]resser, L. interesse. See Interest, n.]1. To engage the attention of; to awaken interest in; to excite emotion or passion in, in behalf of a person or thing; as, the subject did not interest him; to interest one in charitable work. To love our native country . . . to be interested in its concerns is natural to all men. --Dryden. A goddess who used to interest herself in marriages. --Addison. 2. To be concerned with or engaged in; to affect; to concern; to excite; -- often used impersonally. [Obs.] Or rather, gracious sir, Create me to this glory, since my cause Doth interest this fair quarrel. --Ford. 3. To cause or permit to share. [Obs.] The mystical communion of all faithful men is such as maketh every one to be interested in those precious blessings which any one of them receiveth at God's hands. --Hooker. Syn: To concern; excite; attract; entertain; engage; occupy; hold.Interest
In"ter*est\, n. [OF. interest, F. int['e]r[^e]t, fr. L. interest it interests, is of interest, fr. interesse to be between, to be difference, to be importance; inter between + esse to be; cf. LL. interesse usury. See Essence.]1. Excitement of feeling, whether pleasant or painful, accompanying special attention to some object; concern. Note: Interest expresses mental excitement of various kinds and degrees. It may be intellectual, or sympathetic and emotional, or merely personal; as, an interest in philosophical research; an interest in human suffering; the interest which an avaricious man takes in money getting. So much interest have I in thy sorrow. --Shak. 2. Participation in advantage, profit, and responsibility; share; portion; part; as, an interest in a brewery; he has parted with his interest in the stocks. 3. Advantage, personal or general; good, regarded as a selfish benefit; profit; benefit. Divisions hinder the common interest and public good. --Sir W. Temple. When interest calls of all her sneaking train. --Pope. 4. Premium paid for the use of money, -- usually reckoned as a percentage; as, interest at five per cent per annum on ten thousand dollars. They have told their money, and let out Their coin upon large interest. --Shak. 5. Any excess of advantage over and above an exact equivalent for what is given or rendered. You shall have your desires with interest. --Shak. 6. The persons interested in any particular business or measure, taken collectively; as, the iron interest; the cotton interest. Compound interest, interest, not only on the original principal, but also on unpaid interest from the time it fell due. Simple interest, interest on the principal sum without interest on overdue interest.Cite This Source
interest
The charge for borrowing money or the return for lending it.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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interest
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Interest
1. The charge for the privilege of borrowing money, typically expressed as an annual percentage rate.
2. The amount of ownership a stockholder has in a company, usually expressed as a percentage.
Investopedia Commentary
1. Lenders make money from interest, borrowers pay it.
2. Someone who holds more than 5-10% of the stock in a company is said to hold significant interest.
Related Links
Understanding Credit Card Interest
Trying To Predict Interest Rates
See also: Accrued Interest, Coupon Bond, Interest Rate, Stock Holder Equity
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interest
- Payment for the use of borrowed money.
- An investor's equity in a business.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Main Entry: in·ter·est
Pronunciation: 'in-tr&st; 'in-t&-r&st, -"rest
Function: noun
Etymology: probably alteration of earlier interesse, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin, from Latin, to be between, make a difference, concern, from inter- between, among + esse to be
1 : a right, title, claim, or share in property
Article Nine security interest
: SECURITY INTEREST 2 in this entry
beneficial interest
: the right to the use and benefit of property beneficial interest in the trust>
contingent interest
: a future interest whose vesting is dependent upon the occurrence or nonoccurrence of a future event —compare VESTED INTEREST in this entry
controlling interest
: sufficient stock ownership in a corporation to exert control over policy
equitable interest
: an interest (as a beneficial interest) that is held by virtue of equitable title or that may be claimed on the ground of equitable relief
executory interest
: a future interest other than a remainder or reversion that may take effect upon the divesting of a prior interest or one created simultaneously
NOTE: Unlike a remainder, an executory interest does not require the expiration of a prior interest. It was designed to guard against the destructibility of contingent remainders set forth in the rule in Shelley's case.
expectation interest
: the interest of a party to a breached contract in receiving the benefit of the bargain by being put in a position as good as that which would have resulted had the contract been performed called also expectancy interest —compare RELIANCE INTEREST in this entry
future interest
: an interest in property limited or created so that its owner will come into the use, possession, or enjoyment of it at some future time —see also CONTINGENT INTEREST and, EXECUTORY INTEREST in this entry —compare REMAINDER, REVERSION
insurable interest
: an interest or stake in property or in a person that arises from the potential for esp. financial loss upon the destruction of the property or the death of the person and that is a requirement for enforcing an insurance contract
NOTE: The purpose of requiring an insurable interest is to prevent the use of insurance as a form of gambling or as a method of profiting from destruction.
legal interest
: an interest that is recognized in law (as by legal title) —compare EQUITABLE INTEREST in this entry legal title at TITLE
life interest
: an interest lasting for the duration of a person's life that forecloses the ability to affect the property beyond that term —compare life estate at ESTATE 1
possessory interest
: an interest (as a right) involving or arising out of the possession of property
NOTE: A possessory interest is based on control rather than use. Thus a lessee who occupies and controls the use of property has a possessory interest, while a party who has an easement does not.
purchase money security interest
1 : the security interest held by the seller of collateral to secure payment of all or part of the price
2 : the security interest of a person that gives value to a debtor so that the debtor may acquire rights in or the use of collateral
reliance interest
: the interest of a party to a breached contract in being compensated for detriments suffered (as expenses incurred) in reliance on the agreement —compare EXPECTATION INTEREST in this entry
reversionary interest
: an interest in property (as a possibility of reverter or a power of termination) remaining in the transferor of the property or in his or her successor in interest
security interest
1 : an interest in property that exists by contract as security for payment or performance of an obligation
NOTE: While a lien may be created by statutory or judicial means without any agreement providing for security (as in the case of a tax lien or judgment lien), a security interest and lien may inhere in the same claim, as when a mortgage comprises both a lien on and security interest in the mortgaged property.
2 : an interest in personal property or fixtures created by a security agreement that secures payment or performance of an obligation
NOTE: Security interests in personal property are governed by Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. The security interest set out in Article 9 largely replaces the traditional devices for security, such as the pledge and chattel mortgage. A security interest in property that has attached enables a creditor to obtain satisfaction of a debt out of the property without the need to obtain a judgment in court and levy on the property. Further, it provides the creditor with priority over competing claims against the property.
terminable interest
: an interest (as in a life estate) that will terminate upon the occurrence of an event or the passing of time
vested interest
: a present and certain right to the present or future enjoyment of property —compare CONTINGENT INTEREST in this entry
working interest
: the interest of a party that holds the right to oil, gas, or minerals on a property and that bears production costs —see also OVERRIDING ROYALTY
2 : a specific concern or level of involvement (as financial involvement) esp. that warrants recognition or causes bias
3 : something that causes or warrants particular attention: as a : a principle, purpose, or object of concern
compelling state interest
: a governmental interest (as in educating children or protecting the public) which is so important that it outweighs individual rights
public interest
1 a : the general welfare and rights of the public that are to be recognized, protected, and advanced
2 : the concern or attention of the public public interest> b : a right esp. that arises from a constitution (as the U.S. Constitution); especially : such a right considered as an issue or claim created in or involving a particular situation or thing
liberty interest
: an interest in freedom from governmental deprivation of liberty esp. without due process
privacy interest
: an interest in freedom from governmental intrusion into matters in which one has a reasonable expectation of privacy
property interest
: an interest in freedom from governmental deprivation of property and sources of financial gain (as employment or a government benefit) without due process; broadly : something (as a job or benefit) to which one has a legitimate claim of entitlement and that cannot be taken away without due process as distinguished from the unprotected object of a need, desire, or expectation
4 : the well-being of a perso —often used in pl.
5 : a charge for the use of another's money that is usually a percentage of the money being used
com·pound interest
: interest computed on the sum of the original principal and accrued interest
legal interest
: a lawful interest rate and esp. the highest rate allowed
qualified residence interest
: interest that is deductible from adjusted gross income under federal tax law when it is paid on debt that is secured by one's residence and that was incurred for the acquisition, construction, improvement, or refinancing of the residence or through a home equity loan
sim·ple interest
: interest computed on the principal of a loan or account
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interest
see in one's interest; take an interest; vested interest; with interest.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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