Main Entry:

per·cent·age

Pronunciation:

\pər-ˈsen-tij\

Function:

noun

Date:

circa 1789

1 a: a part of a whole expressed in hundredths <a high percentage of students attended> b: the result obtained by multiplying a number by a percent <the percentage equals the rate times the base>2 a: a share of winnings or profits b: advantage, profit <no percentage in going around looking like an old sack of laundry — Wallace Stegner>3: an indeterminate part : proportion4 a: probability b: favorable odds