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interest - 7 dictionary results
in⋅ter⋅est
[in-ter-ist, -trist] 
tər
–noun
–verb (used with object)
—Idiom
| 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. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : interest
| Spanish: | interés, | German: | das Interesse, | Japanese: | 興味 |
| in·ter·est
(ĭn'trĭst, -tər-ĭst, -trěst') Pronunciation Key
n.
tr.v. in·ter·est·ed, in·ter·est·ing, in·ter·ests
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin, it is of importance, third person sing. present tense of interesse, to be between, take part in : inter-, inter- + esse, to be; see es- in Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
interest
c.1425, earlier interesse (c.1374), from Anglo-Fr. interesse "what one has a legal concern in," from M.L. interesse "compensation for loss," from L. interresse "to concern, make a difference, be of importance," lit. "to be between," from inter- "between" + esse "to be." Form influenced 15c. by O.Fr. interest "damage," from L. interest "it is of importance, it makes a difference," third pers. sing. present of interresse. Financial sense of "money paid for the use of money lent" (1529) earlier was distinguished from usury (illegal under Church law) by being in ref. to "compensation due from a defaulting debtor." Meaning "curiosity" is first attested 1771. Interesting meant "important" (1711); later "of interest" (1768).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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| interest | |
noun | |
| 1. | a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something; "an interest in music" |
| 2. | a reason for wanting something done; "for your sake"; "died for the sake of his country"; "in the interest of safety"; "in the common interest" [syn: sake] |
| 3. | the power of attracting or holding one's attention (because it is unusual or exciting etc.); "they said nothing of great interest"; "primary colors can add interest to a room" [ant: uninterestingness] |
| 4. | a fixed charge for borrowing money; usually a percentage of the amount borrowed; "how much interest do you pay on your mortgage?" |
| 5. | (law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something; "they have interests all over the world"; "a stake in the company's future" |
| 6. | (usually plural) a social group whose members control some field of activity and who have common aims; "the iron interests stepped up production" |
| 7. | a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly); "sailing is her favorite pastime"; "his main pastime is gambling"; "he counts reading among his interests"; "they criticized the boy for his limited pursuits" [syn: pastime] |
verb | |
| 1. | excite the curiosity of; engage the interest of [ant: bore] |
| 2. | be on the mind of; "I worry about the second Germanic consonant shift" [syn: concern] |
| 3. | be of importance or consequence; "This matters to me!" [syn: matter to] |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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interest
The charge for borrowing money or the return for lending it.
[Chapter:] Business and Economics
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Interest
Com"pound\, a. [OE. compouned, p. p. of compounen. See Compound, v. t.] Composed of two or more elements, ingredients, parts; produced by the union of several ingredients, parts, or things; composite; as, a compound word. Compound substances are made up of two or more simple substances. --I. Watts. Compound addition, subtraction, multiplication, division (Arith.), the addition, subtraction, etc., of compound numbers. Compound crystal (Crystallog.), a twin crystal, or one seeming to be made up of two or more crystals combined according to regular laws of composition. Compound engine (Mech.), a form of steam engine in which the steam that has been used in a high-pressure cylinder is made to do further service in a larger low-pressure cylinder, sometimes in several larger cylinders, successively. Compound ether. (Chem.) See under Ether. Compound flower (Bot.), a flower head resembling a single flower, but really composed of several florets inclosed in a common calyxlike involucre, as the sunflower or dandelion. Compound fraction. (Math.) See Fraction. Compound fracture. See Fracture. Compound householder, a householder who compounds or arranges with his landlord that his rates shall be included in his rents. [Eng.] Compound interest. See Interest. Compound larceny. (Law) See Larceny. Compound leaf (Bot.), a leaf having two or more separate blades or leaflets on a common leafstalk. Compound microscope. See Microscope. Compound motion. See Motion. Compound number (Math.), one constructed according to a varying scale of denomination; as, 3 cwt., 1 qr., 5 lb.; -- called also denominate number. Compound pier (Arch.), a clustered column. Compound quantity (Alg.), a quantity composed of two or more simple quantities or terms, connected by the sign + (plus) or - (minus). Thus, a + b - c, and bb - b, are compound quantities. Compound radical. (Chem.) See Radical. Compound ratio (Math.), the product of two or more ratios; thus ab:cd is a ratio compounded of the simple ratios a:c and b:d. Compound rest (Mech.), the tool carriage of an engine lathe. Compound screw (Mech.), a screw having on the same axis two or more screws with different pitch (a differential screw), or running in different directions (a right and left screw). Compound time (Mus.), that in which two or more simple measures are combined in one; as, 6-8 time is the joining of two measures of 3-8 time. Compound word, a word composed of two or more words; specifically, two or more words joined together by a hyphen.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Interest
Dis*in"ter*ess\, v. t. [F. d['e]sint['e]resser to deprive of interest in; pref. d['e]s- (L. dis-) + int['e]resser to interest, fr. L. interesse to import, concern. See Interest, and cf. Disinterest.] To deprive or rid of interest in, or regard for; to disengage. [Obs.]
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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