percent

or per cent

[ per-sent ]

noun

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

adjective

1. 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.

percent

/ pər-sĕnt′ /

1. One part in a hundred. For example, 62 percent (also written 62%) means 62 parts out of 100.

percent

1. 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%.

Confusables Note

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

• per·cental adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of percent¹

First recorded in 1560–70; short for Medieval Latin per centum “by the hundred”; per, cent

Example Sentences

The results show that long-term use of antihypertensive drugs, cholesterol-lowering drugs, diuretics and blood-thinning drugs is associated with between 4 and 25 percent lower risk of dementia.

From Science Daily

The effect is even further fueled by our oceans, which absorb more than 90 percent of the heat caused by burning fossil fuels, producing water vapor that increases precipitation.

From Salon

The population of the white-backed vulture, for example, declined by around 90 percent in just three generations -- equivalent to an average decline of 4 percent per year.

From Science Daily

“One thousand percent, if the boys said something like that, I would honor that,” Beauvais says.

From Los Angeles Times

The resolution introduced on Monday does not specifically mention McBride, but Mace told reporters on Tuesday, that “it’s 100 percent because of McBride”, according to the Washington Post.

From BBC

Related Words

• bonus
• chunk
• fee
• interest
• proportion
• rate
• ratio
• royalty