/ fʌnd; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C ] an amount of money that has been saved or has been made available for a particular purpose :
a disaster relief fund
the company's pension fund
the International Monetary Fund
2.
funds [ pl. ] money that is available to be spent :
government funds
The hospital is trying to raise funds for a new kidney machine.
The project has been cancelled because of lack of funds
I'm short of funds at the moment—can I pay you back next week?
3.
[ sing. ] ~ of sth an amount or a supply of sth :
a fund of knowledge
■ verb
[ vn ] to provide money for sth, usually sth official :
a dance festival funded by the Arts Council
The museum is privately funded.
a government-funded programme
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: from Latin fundus bottom, piece of landed property. The earliest sense was the bottom or lowest part , later foundation or basis ; the association with money has perhaps arisen from the idea of landed property being a source of wealth.