gain vs profit what difference
what is difference between gain and profit
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡeɪn/
- Rhymes: -eɪn
Etymology 1
From Middle English gayn, gain, gein (“profit, advantage”), from Old Norse gagn (“benefit, advantage, use”), from Proto-Germanic *gagną, *gaganą (“gain, profit”, literally “return”), from Proto-Germanic *gagana (“back, against, in return”), a reduplication of Proto-Germanic *ga- (“with, together”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“next to, at, with, along”). Cognate with Icelandic gagn (“gain, advantage, use”), Swedish gagn (“benefit, profit”), Danish gavn (“gain, profit, success”), Gothic ???????????????????????????????? (gageigan, “to gain, profit”), Old Norse gegn (“ready”), dialectal Swedish gen (“useful, noteful”), Latin cum (“with”); see gain-, again, against. Compare also Middle English gaynen, geinen (“to be of use, profit, avail”), Icelandic and Swedish gagna (“to avail, help”), Danish gavne (“to benefit”).
The Middle English word was reinforced by Middle French gain (“gain, profit, advancement, cultivation”), from Old French gaaing, gaaigne, gaigne, a noun derivative of gaaignier (“to till, earn, win”), from Frankish *waidanjan (“to pasture, graze, hunt for food”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *waiþiz, *waiþō, *waiþijō (“pasture, field, hunting ground”); compare Old High German weidōn, weidanōn (“to hunt, forage for food”) (Modern German Weide (“pasture”)), Old Norse veiða (“to catch, hunt”), Old English wǣþan (“to hunt, chase, pursue”). Related to wathe, wide.
Verb
gain (third-person singular simple present gains, present participle gaining, simple past and past participle gained)
- (transitive) To acquire possession of.
- Looks like you’ve gained a new friend.
- (intransitive) To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress.
- The sick man gains daily.
- (transitive, dated) To come off winner or victor in; to be successful in; to obtain by competition.
- to gain a battle; to gain a case at law
- (transitive) To increase.
- 1883, Howard Pyle, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Chapter V
- Then they had bouts of wrestling and of cudgel play, so that every day they gained in skill and strength.
- 1883, Howard Pyle, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood Chapter V
- (intransitive) To be more likely to catch or overtake an individual.
- I’m gaining (on you).
- gain ground
- (transitive) To reach.
- to gain the top of a mountain
- 1907, Jack London, The Iron Heel:
- Ernest laughed harshly and savagely when he had gained the street.
- To draw into any interest or party; to win to one’s side; to conciliate.
- If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
- to gratify the queen, and gain the court
- (intransitive) To put on weight.
- I’ve been gaining.
- (of a clock or watch) To run fast.
Derived terms
Translations
Noun
gain (countable and uncountable, plural gains)
- The act of gaining; acquisition.
- 1855, Alfred Tennyson, Maude
- the lust of gain, in the spirit of Cain
- 1855, Alfred Tennyson, Maude
- What is gained.
- (electronics) The factor by which a signal is multiplied.
- 1987, John Borwick, Sound recording practice (page 238)
- There follows the high and low-frequency replay equalization, which normally involves two adjustments with a further control allowing the replay gain to be set.
- 1987, John Borwick, Sound recording practice (page 238)
Antonyms
- loss
Derived terms
- autogain
- gainful
- gainsome
- gain-ground (game)
Translations
Etymology 2
From dialectal English gen, gin, short for again, agen (“against”); also Middle English gain, gayn, gein, ȝæn (“against”), from Old English gēan, geġn (“against”). More at against.
Preposition
gain
- (obsolete) Against.
Derived terms
- gainful
Etymology 3
From Middle English gayn, gein, geyn (“straight, direct, short, fit, good”), from Old Norse gegn (“straight, direct, short, ready, serviceable, kindly”), from gegn (“opposite, against”, adverb) (whence gagna (“to go against, meet, suit, be meet”)); see below at gain. Adverb from Middle English gayn, gayne (“fitly, quickly”), from the adjective.
Adjective
gain (comparative more gain, superlative most gain)
- (obsolete) Straight, direct; near; short.
- the gainest way
- (obsolete) Suitable; convenient; ready.
- (dialectal) Easy; tolerable; handy, dexterous.
- (dialectal) Honest; respectable; moderate; cheap.
Translations
Derived terms
- gainly
- gainsome
Adverb
gain (comparative more gain, superlative most gain)
- (obsolete) Straightly; quickly; by the nearest way or means.
- (dialectal) Suitably; conveniently; dexterously; moderately.
- (dialectal) Tolerably; fairly.
- gain quiet (= fairly/pretty quiet)
Etymology 4
Compare Welsh gan (“a mortise”).
Noun
gain (plural gains)
- (architecture) A square or bevelled notch cut out of a girder, binding joist, or other timber which supports a floor beam, so as to receive the end of the floor beam.
Anagrams
- Agin, Agni, Angi, Gina, NGIA, Nagi, Ngai, a- -ing, ag’in, agin, gina, inga
Basque
Noun
gain
- summit
French
Etymology
From Middle French gain, from Old French gaaing, from the verb gaaignier (“to earn, gain, seize, conquer by force”), from Frankish *waidanjan (“to graze, forage, hunt”), from Proto-Germanic *waiþō (“a hunt, pasture, food”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- (“to seek, crave, hunt”). Cognate with Old High German weidanōn (“to hunt, chase”), German Weide (“pasture, pasturage”). Compare also related Old French gain (“harvest time, revival”), from Frankish *waida (“income, food, fodder”) (whence French regain), from the same Germanic source.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡɛ̃/
Noun
gain m (plural gains)
- (usually in the plural) winnings, earnings, takings
- (finance) gain, yield
Derived terms
- gain de cause
- gain du temps
Further reading
- “gain” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Louisiana Creole French
Etymology
From French gagner (“to gain”), compare Haitian Creole gen.
Verb
gain
- to have
Middle English
Etymology 1
From Old Norse gegn.
Adjective
gain
- Alternative form of gayn (“direct, fast, good, helpful”)
Etymology 2
From Old Norse gagn.
Noun
gain
- Alternative form of gayn (“gain, reward, advantage”)
Etymology 3
From Old Norse gegna.
Verb
gain
- Alternative form of gaynen
Etymology 4
From Old English ġeġn, gæġn, from Proto-Germanic *gagin; also influenced by Old Norse gegn, from the same Proto-Germanic form. Doublet of gayn (“direct, fast, good, helpful”).
Alternative forms
- gayn, gein, ȝæn, ȝein, ȝean, gayne, gen, gan, gaine, geyn
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡɛi̯n/, /ɡeːn/, /jɛi̯n/, /jeːn/
Preposition
gain
- against, next to, touching
- (figuratively) against, opposed to, counter to, opposing (usually used in religious and spiritual contexts)
- towards, to, nearing
- (rare) on, on top of
- (rare) facing, pointed towards
Descendants
- English: gain (obsolete)
- Scots: gain, gin
References
- “yẹ̄n, prep.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-23.
Adverb
gain
- back (to), returning (to)
References
- “yẹ̄n, adv.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-23.
Middle French
Etymology
Old French gaaing.
Noun
gain m (plural gains)
- income (financial)
Descendants
- French: gain
References
- gain on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)
Welsh
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡai̯n/
Adjective
gain
- Soft mutation of cain.
Mutation
English
Etymology
From Middle English profit, from Old French profit (Modern French profit), from Latin prōfectus (“advance, progress, growth, increase, profit”), from proficiō (“to go forward, advance, make progress, be profitable or useful”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: prŏfʹit, IPA(key): /ˈpɹɒfɪt/
- (General American) enPR: prŏfʹit, IPA(key): /ˈpɹɑfɪt/
- Homophone: prophet
- Rhymes: -ɒfɪt
- Hyphenation: prof‧it
Noun
profit (countable and uncountable, plural profits)
- (accounting, economics) Total income or cash flow minus expenditures. The money or other benefit a non-governmental organization or individual receives in exchange for products and services sold at an advertised price.
- October 2, 1750, Samuel Johnson, The Rambler
- Let no man anticipate uncertain profits.
- October 2, 1750, Samuel Johnson, The Rambler
- (dated, literary) Benefit, positive result obtained.
- 1611, Bible (King James Version), 1 Corinthians vii. 35
- This I speak for your own profit.
- 1611, Bible (King James Version), 1 Corinthians vii. 35
- (law) In property law, a nonpossessory interest in land whereby a party is entitled to enter the land of another for the purpose of taking the soil or the substance of the soil (coal, oil, minerals, and in some jurisdictions timber and game).
Usage notes
Regarding the income sense, when the difference is negative, the term loss is preferred. Negative profit does appear in microeconomics.
Profit by a government agency is called a surplus.
Synonyms
- gain
Antonyms
- loss
Derived terms
- for-profit
- non-profit
Translations
Verb
profit (third-person singular simple present profits, present participle profiting, simple past and past participle profited)
- (transitive) To benefit (somebody), be of use to (somebody).
- The word preached did not profit them.
- It is a great means of profiting yourself, to copy diligently those excellent pieces and beautiful designs.
- (intransitive, construed with from) To benefit, gain.
- (intransitive, construed with from) To take advantage of, exploit, use.
Translations
Derived terms
Related terms
- proficiency
- proficient
Further reading
- profit in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- profit in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Anagrams
- forpit
Catalan
Etymology
From Latin prōfectus.
Pronunciation
- (Balearic, Central) IPA(key): /pɾuˈfit/
- (Valencian) IPA(key): /pɾoˈfit/
Noun
profit m (plural profits)
- benefit, advantage
Derived terms
- aprofitar
- bon profit
- profitós
Further reading
- “profit” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
- “profit” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
- “profit” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “profit” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
French
Etymology
From Old French profit, from Latin prōfectus.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pʁɔ.fi/
Noun
profit m (plural profits)
- profit, benefit
Derived terms
Further reading
- “profit” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Hungarian
Etymology
Borrowed from German Profit.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈprofit]
- Hyphenation: pro‧fit
- Rhymes: -it
Noun
profit (plural profitok)
- profit (total income or cash flow minus expenditures)
- Synonyms: haszon, nyereség
Declension
References
Further reading
- profit in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (’The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
Norman
Etymology
From Old French profit, from Latin profectus (“advance, progress, growth, increase, profit”).
Noun
profit m (plural profits)
- (Jersey) profit
Romanian
Etymology
From French profit.
Noun
profit n (plural profituri)
- profit
Declension
Serbo-Croatian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /prǒfiːt/
- Hyphenation: pro‧fit
Noun
pròfīt m (Cyrillic spelling про̀фӣт)
- profit
Declension
Tok Pisin
Etymology
From English profit.
Noun
profit
- profit
- interest