Etymology: Origin of the word Finance

Meaning

The word finance has different but interrelated meanings, namely, 1) the management of large amounts of money -specially by governments or large companies, 2) giving monetary suport for an enterprise and 3)  the monetary resources and affairs of a State, organization or person.

Etymology

Financius, from the noun finis (“end”) is the Latin etymological origin of the modern English word Finance.

It migrated from Latin to old French as finaunce,  from finer ‎(“to pay a ransom”), whence also English fine ‎(“to pay a penalty”).

In fact, the original English sense was “ending”. The sense  “ending/satisfying a debt” came from French influence.

So in the mid 15th century the sense was “ransom”, and later in the same century, “taxation”.

It was first recorded in the sense of managing money in 1770.

1- Old French: Fin

2- Old French: Finer English: Fine

3- Late Middle English: Finance

Finance in Many languages

Financial Translator