Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Mathematics A quantity to be divided.
  • noun A share of profits paid to a stockholder or to a policyholder in a mutual insurance society.
  • noun A payment pro rata to a creditor of a person adjudged bankrupt.
  • noun A share of a surplus; a bonus.
  • noun An unexpected gain, benefit, or advantage.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A sum to be divided into equal parts, or one to be distributed proportionately.
  • noun The share of one of the individuals among whom a sum is so divided; a share or portion.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A sum of money to be divided and distributed; the share of a sum divided that falls to each individual; a distribute sum, share, or percentage; -- applied to the profits as appropriated among shareholders, and to assets as apportioned among creditors.
  • noun (Math.) A number or quantity which is to be divided.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun arithmetic A number or expression that is to be divided by another.
  • noun finance A pro rata payment of money by a company to its shareholders, usually made periodically (eg, quarterly or annually).

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun that part of the earnings of a corporation that is distributed to its shareholders; usually paid quarterly
  • noun a bonus; something extra (especially a share of a surplus)
  • noun a number to be divided by another number

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration (influenced by French dividende) of Middle English divident, from Latin dīvidēns, dīvident-, present participle of dīvidere, to divide; see divide.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French dividende, from Latin dividendum ("thing to be divided"), future passive participle of divido ("to divide").

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