Dictionary.com

percent

or per cent

[ per-sent ]
/ pərˈsɛnt /
See synonyms for percent on Thesaurus.com

noun

Also called per centum. one one-hundredth part; 1/100.
percentage (defs. 1, 3).
British. stocks, bonds, etc., that bear an indicated rate of interest.

adjective

figured or expressed on the basis of a rate or proportion per hundred (used in combination with a number in expressing rates of interest, proportions, etc.): to get three percent interest.Symbol: %

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Origin of percent

1560–70; short for Medieval Latin per centum by the hundred. See per, cent

historical usage of percent

Percent is from the Latin adverbial phrase per centum meaning “by the hundred.” The Latin phrase entered English in the 16th century. Later, it was abbreviated per cent. with a final period. Eventually, the period was dropped and the two parts merged to produce the modern one-word form percent. The two-word form per cent is still used occasionally, but its use is diminishing. The percent sign ( % ) is used chiefly in scientific, tabular, or statistical material and only with numerals preceding it: 58%; a range of 30% to 40%.

words often confused with percent

In the senses “rate or proportion per hundred” and “proportion in general” percent and percentage are frequently interchangeable. With a preceding number, only percent occurs ( a 16 percent decline ); with no preceding number, either occurs, but percentage is much more common: a certain percentage (or percent ) of the land.

OTHER WORDS FROM percent

per·cent·al, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH percent

percent , percentage, percentile (see confusables note at the current entry)

Words nearby percent

percaline, per capita, perceivable, perceive, perceived noise decibel, percent, percentage, percenter, percentile, percent sign, per centum
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to percent

fee, ratio, bonus, proportion, chunk, rate, interest, duty, cut, division, discount, taste, section, juice, quota, allowance, commission, slice, split, corner

Example sentences from the Web for percent

British Dictionary definitions for percent

per cent
/ (pə ˈsɛnt) /

adverb

Also: per centum in or for every hundredSymbol: %

noun Also: per'cent

a percentage or proportion
(often plural) securities yielding a rate of interest as specifiedhe bought three percents

Word Origin for per cent

C16: from Medieval Latin per centum out of every hundred
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for percent

percent

One part in a hundred. For example, 62 percent (also written 62%) means 62 parts out of 100.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for percent

percent

A fraction expressed as a number of hundredths. Twelve percent of a quantity, for example, is twelve one-hundredths of it. Twelve percent may also be written 12%.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.