finance

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

finance, n. [F., fr. LL. financia payment of money, money, fr. finare to pay a fine or subsidy (cf. OF. finer to finish, pay), fr. L. finis end. See Fine, n., Finish.].

•  The income of a ruler or of a state; revenue; public money; sometimes, the income of an individual; often used in the plural for funds; available money; resources.  [1913 Webster]

  "All the finances or revenues of the imperial crown."  [1913 Webster]
•  The science of raising and expending the public revenue.  Macaulay.  [1913 Webster]

finance, v. t. & i. 

 To conduct the finances of; to provide for, and manage, the capital for; to financier.
"Securing foreign capital to finance multitudinous undertakings."  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

finance, n. & v.
--n.
1 the management of (esp. public) money.
2 monetary support for an enterprise.
3 (in pl.) the money resources of a State, company, or person.
--v.tr. provide capital for (a person or enterprise).

Idiom

finance company (or house) a company concerned mainly with providing money for hire-purchase transactions.

Etymology

ME f. OF f. finer settle a debt f. fin end: see FINE(2)

DEVIL DICTIONARY

finance

n. The art or science of managing revenues and resources for the best advantage of the manager. The pronunciation of this word with the i long and the accent on the first syllable is one of America's most precious discoveries and possessions.

THESAURUS

finance

accounting, acknowledge, afford support, aid, angel, assets, assist, back, bank, banking, bankroll, bear, bear out, bear the expense, bear up, bolster, bolster up, business, buttress, capital, capitalize, cash, chip in, commerce, crutch, defray, defray expenses, economics, finances, foot the bill, fund, funds, give support, go Dutch, grubstake, help, hold up, holdings, honor a bill, invest in, investment, keep, lend support, maintain, money, patronize, pay for, pay the bill, pay the bills, pay the piper, pension, pension off, promote, prop, prop up, provide for, redeem, refinance, reinforce, resources, set up, shore, shore up, sponsor, stake, stand the costs, subsidize, subvene, subvention, subventionize, support, sustain, undergird, underwrite, upbear, uphold, upkeep, wealth, wherewithal

ROGET THESAURUS

finance

Money

N money, legal tender, money matters, money market, finance, accounts, funds, treasure, capital, stock, assets, wealth, supplies, ways and means, wherewithal, sinews of war, almighty dollar, needful, cash, mammon, dough, cabbage, money-like instruments, M, M, sum, amount, balance, balance sheet, sum total, proceeds, currency, circulating medium, specie, coin, piece, hard cash, cold cash, dollar, sterling coin, pounds shillings and pence, Ls, d, pocket, breeches pocket, purse, money in hand, cash at hand, ready money, ready cash, slug, wad wad of bills, wad of money, thick wad of bills, roll of dough, rhino, blunt, dust, mopus, tin, salt, chink, argent comptant, bottom dollar, buzzard dollar, checks, dibs, double eagle, eagle, Federal currency, fractional currency, postal currency, Federal Reserve Note, United States Note, silver certificate, gold certificate, long bit, short bit, moss, nickel, pile, pin money, quarter, red cent, roanoke, rock, seawan, seawant, thousand dollars, grand, single, one-dollar bill, two- dollar bill, five-dollar bill, fiver, fin, Lincoln, ten-dollar bill, sawbuck, twenty-dollar bill, Jackson, double sawbuck, fifty-dollar bill, hundred-dollar bill, C-note, penny, cent, Lincoln cent, indian head penny, copper, two-cent piece three-cent piece, half- dime, nickel, buffalo nickel, V nickel, dime, disme, mercury dime, quarter, two bits, half dollar, dollar, silver dollar, Eisenhower dollar, Susan B, Anthony dollar, precious metals, gold, silver, copper, bullion, ingot, nugget, petty cash, pocket money, change, small change, small coin, doit, stiver, rap, mite, farthing, sou, penny, shilling, tester, groat, guinea, rouleau, wampum, good sum, round sum, lump sum, power of money, plum, lac of rupees, major coin, crown, minor coin, monetarist, monetary theory, numismatics, chrysology, numismatist, paper money, greenback, major denomination, minor denomination, money order, postal money order, Post Office order, bank note, bond, bill, bill of exchange, order, warrant, coupon, debenture, exchequer bill, assignat, blueback, hundi, shinplaster, note, note of hand, promissory note, I O U, draft, check, cheque, back-dated check, negotiable order of withdrawal, NOW, remittance, credit, liability, drawer, drawee, obligor, obligee, moneyer, coiner, false money, bad money, base coin, flash note, slip, kite, fancy stocks, Bank of Elegance, argumentum ad crumenam, letter of credit, circulation, multiplier effect, inflation, double-digit inflation, hyperinflation, erosion of the currency, debasement of the currency, deflation, stagflation, exchange rate, rate of exchange, floating exchange rates, fixed rates, currency counter, currency exchange, bureau de change, gold-backed currency, gold standard, silver standard, bank account, savings account, checking account, money market account, NOW account, time deposit, deposit, demand deposit, super NOW account, certificate of deposit, CD, $, US$, Y, A$, Federal Reserve Bank, central bank, Federal Reserve Board, board of governors of the Federal Reserve, Treasury Department, Secret Service, mint, bureau of engraving, seigniorage, counterfeit, funny money, bogus money, (falsehood), interest, interest rate, discount rate, monetary, pecuniary, crumenal, fiscal, financial, sumptuary, numismatic, numismatical, sterling, nummary, barbarus ipse placet dummodo sit dives, but the jingling of the guinea helps the hurt that, Gelt regiert die Welt, money rules the world, money makes the world go round, nervos belli pecuniam infinitam, redet Geld so schweigt die Welt, money is the mother's milk of politics, money is the root of all evil, money isn't everything, as phony as a three-dollar bill, don't take any wooden nickels.

Accounts

N accounts, accompts, commercial arithmetic, monetary arithmetic, statistics, money matters, finance, budget, bill, score, reckoning, account, books, account book, ledger, day book, cash book, pass book, journal, debtor and creditor account, cash account, running account, account current, balance, balance sheet, compte rendu, account settled, acquit, assets, expenditure, liabilities, outstanding accounts, profit and loss account, profit and loss statement, receipts, bookkeeping, accounting, double entry bookkeeping, reckoning, audit, accountant, auditor, actuary, bookkeeper, bean counter, financier, accounting party, chartered accountant, certified accountant, accounting firm, auditing firm, monetary, accountable, accounting.