invest

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To put money into something, such as a business or shares, in order to make a profit.

   She decided to invest her savings in the stock market.

2. 2
   verb

   To spend time, energy, or effort on something to gain a benefit.

   They invested countless hours in planning the event.

3. 3
   verb

   To officially give someone power, authority, or a title.

   The new mayor was invested with full authority at the ceremony.

Multiword verbs with invest

• invest in Prepositional verb B1

  to put money into an asset or business expecting a future return

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Invest comes from Latin investire, “to put clothes on,” based on vestis, “clothing.” It first referred to dressing someone and then to formally installing a person in an office, a ceremony once marked by special clothing; the financial sense entered English in the early 17th century under Italian influence, apparently likening the placement of money in enterprises to clothing it in different forms.

Borrowed from Middle French investir or Medieval Latin investire, from Latin investio (“to clothe, cover”), from in- (“in, on”) + vestio (“to clothe, dress”), from vestis (“clothing”); see vest. The sense “to spend money etc.” probably via Italian investire, of the same root.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary