Main Entry:

¹prof·it

Pronunciation:

\ˈprä-fət\

Function:

noun

Usage:

often attributive

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin profectus advance, profit, from proficere

Date:

14th century

1: a valuable return : gain2: the excess of returns over expenditure in a transaction or series of transactions ; especially : the excess of the selling price of goods over their cost3: net income usually for a given period of time4: the ratio of profit for a given year to the amount of capital invested or to the value of sales5: the compensation accruing to entrepreneurs for the assumption of risk in business enterprise as distinguished from wages or rent

— prof·it·less \-ləs\ adjective

— prof·it·wise \-ˌwīz\ adverb