Funds

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /fʌndz/

Definitions

1. Money set aside or available to be used for particular needs or projects ; the financial resources or capital owned by a person or organization
2. Currency or assets reserved for use in specific activities or expenses ; the total wealth or financial holdings managed by an entity
3. Cash or assets allocated for designated objectives ; the monetary means or possessions controlled by an individual or group

Etymology: "Funds" is the plural of "fund," and the plural is the more revealing form. In Latin, "fundus" meant the bottom or base of something, and English borrowed it in the sense of a foundation or basis. The word "fond" shares this root, and the two are doublets, meaning they come from the same Latin source by different routes. That shared origin is a surprise: "fond" in its old sense of "foolish" or "foolishly loving" seems far removed from a financial reserve. The money sense developed from the idea of a base or foundation that something rests on. A fund was a store of resources set aside to support a purpose, and the plural "funds" came to mean the money itself, ready to be drawn on. The physical notion of a bottom layer gave way to the notion of a reserve held underneath everyday spending.

Synonyms: money, resources, capital, finances, assets

Antonyms: debt, liabilities