PROFIT

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin profectus advance, ~, from proficere Date: 14th century a valuable return ; gain , the excess of returns over expenditure in a transaction or series of transactions, net income usually for a given period of time, the ratio of ~ for a given year to the amount of capital invested or to the value of sales, the compensation accruing to entrepreneurs for the assumption of risk in business enterprise as distinguished from wages or rent, ~less adjective ~wise adverb II. verb Date: 14th century intransitive verb to be of service or advantage ; avail , to derive benefit ; gain , to make a ~, transitive verb to be of service to ; benefit