Cost

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒst/

Definitions

1. The price that must be paid to acquire or do something, or the effort and sacrifice required to achieve a goal
2. The value in monetary terms for obtaining something or the resources expended, whether time, effort, or energy, to accomplish a particular task
3. The financial charge associated with purchasing an item or the sacrifices made in terms of resources needed for achieving an objective

Etymology: The verb and noun "cost" both descend from a Latin verb meaning "to stand firm" or "to stand together." Latin "constare" combined "con-" (together) with "stare" (to stand), and its literal sense of standing alongside gave rise to the idea of a thing that stands at a particular price. Over the centuries it passed through Medieval Latin "costare" and Old French "coster," which carried the same sense of something that stands at a certain value, into Middle English as "costen," meaning to cost. The noun came later, formed from the verb. English speakers took the verb "costen" and turned it into the noun "cost," meaning the amount of money required or spent. Because the noun was derived from the verb in this way, the two forms developed side by side, and the verb later gave rise to a further sense extending the idea of expenditure beyond money to time and effort.

Synonyms: price, expense, charge, valuation, outlay

Antonyms: profit, gain, benefit