Etymologically
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investor

Etymology and origin of the English word investor

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1586
Ultimate origin
English (invest)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ɪnˈves.tə/, US /ɪnˈves.tɚ/[1]

Etymology

It is an agent noun from invest and -or.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who clothes or invests, as with an office: the 1580s in Etymonline;[2] one who besieges with a military force, 1586 in the OED.[4]

Semantic evolution

One who invests money is from 1862.[2][4] Merriam-Webster contrasts the investor, who seeks long-term profit at low risk, with the speculator.[3] A punter on horse races or football pools is an investor from 1958,[4] and investor relations is from 1959, after public relations.[4]

Timeline

  • 1580s – one who clothes.[2]
  • 1586 – a besieger.[4]
  • 1862 – one who invests money.[2][4]
  • 1959 – investor relations.[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person or organization that puts money into a business or property in the hope of profit.

Word family

  • noninvestor

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Investor.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/investor. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·