pə(r)ˈsentij, -tēj noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: percent (I) + -age
1.
a. : a part of a whole expressed in hundredths : rate in percent
the higher the income, the larger is the percentage saved — George Soule
b. : the result obtained by multiplying a number by a percent
2.
a. : a share of winnings or profits : commission , cut
some of my troupe of clients … brought me thick slices of percentage — Christopher Morley
b. : advantage , profit
no percentage in going around looking like an old sack of laundry — Wallace Stegner
there must be some percentage in this for the kid — J.A.MacEwen
3. : an indeterminate part or number : proportion
a high percentage of textbook publishers are themselves former school teachers — Textbooks in Education
4.
a. : a likelihood based on cumulative statistics : probability
more use is made of the percentage today, such as playing the hitter where he hits the ball most of the time — Ted Williams
b. : the mathematical odds in favor of success
chooses his career, his connections, his mistresses … solely on the percentages — Isaac Rosenfeld
specifically : the degree by which a gambler's expectancy of winning exceeds that of his opponent