percent
or per cent
[ per-sent ]
/ pərˈsɛnt /
noun
Also called per centum.
one one-hundredth part; 1/100.
British.
stocks, bonds, etc., that bear an indicated rate of interest.
adjective
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. Symbol: %
usage note for percent
Percent is from the Latin adverbial phrase
per centum meaning “by the hundred.” The Latin phrase entered English in the 16th century. Later, it was abbreviated
per cent. with a final period. Eventually, the period was dropped and the two parts merged to produce the modern one-word form
percent. The two-word form
per cent is still used occasionally, but its use is diminishing. The percent sign (
% ) is used chiefly in scientific, tabular, or statistical material and only with numerals preceding it:
58%;
a range of 30% to 40%.
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.
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 percent
per·cent·al, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH percent
percent percentage percentile (see usage note at the current entry)Words nearby percent
percale,
percaline,
perceivable,
perceive,
perceived noise decibel,
percent,
percent sign,
percentage,
percenter,
percentile,
percept
Example sentences from the Web for percent
Scientific definitions for percent
percent
One part in a hundred. For example, 62 percent (also written 62%) means 62 parts out of 100.
Cultural definitions for percent
percent
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%.