of⋅fer⋅ing
[aw-fer-ing, of-er-]
| 1. | something offered in worship or devotion, as to a deity; an oblation or sacrifice. |
| 2. | a contribution given to or through the church for a particular purpose, as at a religious service. |
| 3. | anything offered as a gift. |
| 4. | something presented for inspection or sale. |
| 5. | a sale: our spring offering of furniture. |
| 6. | the act of one who offers. |
of⋅fer
[aw-fer, of-er]
| 1. | to present for acceptance or rejection; proffer: He offered me a cigarette. |
| 2. | to propose or put forward for consideration: to offer a suggestion. |
| 3. | to propose or volunteer (to do something): She offered to accompany me. |
| 4. | to make a show of intention (to do something): We did not offer to go first. |
| 5. | to give, make, or promise: She offered no response. |
| 6. | to present solemnly as an act of worship or devotion, as to God, a deity or a saint; sacrifice. |
| 7. | to present for sale: He offered the painting to me at a reduced price. |
| 8. | to tender or bid as a price: to offer ten dollars for a radio. |
| 9. | to attempt or threaten to do, engage in, or inflict: to offer battle. |
| 10. | to put forth; exert: to offer resistance. |
| 11. | to present to sight or notice. |
| 12. | to introduce or present for exhibition or performance. |
| 13. | to render (homage, thanks, etc.). |
| 14. | to present or volunteer (oneself) to someone as a spouse. |
| 15. | to present itself; occur: Whenever an opportunity offered, he slipped off to town. |
| 16. | to present something as an act of worship or devotion; sacrifice. |
| 17. | to make a proposal or suggestion. |
| 18. | to suggest oneself to someone for marriage; propose. |
| 19. | Archaic. to make an attempt (fol. by at). |
| 20. | an act or instance of offering: an offer of help. |
| 21. | the condition of being offered: an offer for sale. |
| 22. | something offered. |
| 23. | a proposal or bid to give or pay something as the price of something else; bid: an offer of $90,000 for the house. |
| 24. | Law. a proposal that requires only acceptance in order to create a contract. |
| 25. | an attempt or endeavor. |
| 26. | a show of intention. |
| 27. | a proposal of marriage. |
bef. 900; ME offren, OE offrian to present in worship < L offerre, equiv. to of- of- + ferre to bring, bear 1

Related forms:
1. Offer, proffer, tender mean to present for acceptance or refusal. Offer is a common word in general use for presenting something to be accepted or rejected: to offer assistance. Proffer, with the same meaning, is now chiefly a literary word: to proffer one's services. Tender (no longer used in reference to concrete objects) is a ceremonious term for a more or less formal or conventional act: to tender one's resignation. 2. give, move, propose.
1. withdraw, withhold. 20. refusal, denial.
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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Offering
Of"fer*ing\, n. 1. The act of an offerer; a proffering. 2. That which is offered, esp. in divine service; that which is presented as an expiation or atonement for sin, or as a free gift; a sacrifice; an oblation; as, sin offering. They are polluted offerings more abhorred Than spotted livers in the sacrifice. --Shak. 3. A sum of money offered, as in church service; as, a missionary offering. Specif.: (Ch. of Eng.) Personal tithes payable according to custom, either at certain seasons as Christmas or Easter, or on certain occasions as marriages or christenings. [None] to the offering before her should go. --Chaucer. Burnt offering, Drink offering, etc. See under Burnt. etc.Cite This Source
Offering
In the most general sense, the issue or sale of a security by a company. It is often used in reference to an initial public offering (IPO) when a company's stock is made available for purchase by the public but it can also be used in the context of a bond issue.
Investopedia Commentary
Usually a company will offer stock or bonds to the public in an attempt to raise capital to invest in expansion or growth. There are instances of companies offering stock or bonds because of liquidity issues (i.e. not enough cash to pay the bills), be wary of any offering of this type.
Related Links
IPO Basics Tutorial
The Murky Waters Of The IPO Market
Markets Demystified
See also: Bond, Initial Public Offering - IPO, Liquidity, Prospectus, Security, Stock
Also spelled: ofering, offfering, offing
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Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Main Entry: of·fer·ing
Function: noun
: an issuance of securities for sale
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Offering
an oblation, dedicated to God. Thus Cain consecrated to God of the first-fruits of the earth, and Abel of the firstlings of the flock (Gen. 4:3, 4). Under the Levitical system different kinds of offerings are specified, and laws laid down as to their presentation. These are described under their distinctive names.
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