Bankrolled

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Supplied the money needed to start or support a business, project, or venture
2. Furnished capital to finance an undertaking or enable someone to proceed with plans
3. Gave financial support by providing funds necessary for an enterprise or activity

Etymology: "Bankrolled" is the past tense and past participle of "bankroll," a compound formed from "bank" and "roll." The verb is literally about money stacked into a roll: a bundle of banknotes or coins gathered together, which a gambler or backer would produce to fund play or a venture. Over time the image shifted from the physical roll of cash to the act of financing someone or something, so to bankroll a film or campaign is to supply the money behind it. Both halves of the compound are old and ordinary. "Bank" derives from the Italian "banca," a bench or money-changer's table, while "roll" comes from Latin "rotulus," a little wheel or scroll, later applied to rolled-up documents and rolls of money. Together they describe a stake made tangible, the sort of cash a player could hold in one hand and spend on the table.

Synonyms: financed, funded, sponsored, backed