Invest

How to spell invest

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce invest

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does invest mean?

1. verbTo commit money or capital to something in the expectation of gaining a profit or benefit.
2. verbTo devote time, effort, or energy to something regarded as worthwhile.
3. verbTo formally grant someone with rank, authority, or the symbols of office.

Invest in a sentence

• They decided to invest their savings in a pension fund.

• Good managers invest time in training their staff properly.

• The ceremony will invest the new chancellor with full authority.

• The company plans to invest heavily in new equipment this year.

• She chose to invest her energy in learning a second language.

• The constitution serves to invest the courts with judicial power.

Where does invest come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin investire, which literally meant 'to clothe in' or 'to dress', built from the prefix in- meaning 'in' and vestis meaning 'a garment' or 'clothing'. In medieval Latin the sense broadened to 'to clothe someone with the symbols of an office', which is why we still speak of investing a person with authority or rank. The financial meaning, 'to commit money in the hope of profit', grew out of Italian commercial usage in the 1600s, perhaps from the idea of giving capital a new form, as if dressing it up in a venture. English took the word in the 1500s, first in the ceremonial sense and soon after in the monetary one. The same vestis root survives in 'vest', the garment, and in 'vestment', the robe worn by clergy, which is a handy reminder that the core idea is one of clothing.

How the word is built

• in- (in, into)
• vest (from vestire: to clothe)