interest: [15] The Latin verb interesse meant literally ‘be between’ (it was a compound of inter ‘between’ and esse ‘be’). It was used metaphorically for ‘be of concern, be important, matter’, and appears to have been borrowed into Anglo-Norman as a noun, meaning ‘what one has a legal concern in or share of’. English took this over in the 14th century as interesse, but it gradually changed over the next hundred years or so into interest, mainly due to the influence of Old French interest ‘damage’, which came from the third person present singular form of the Latin verb.
The main modern sense ‘curiosity’ developed towards the end of the 18th century.
interest (n.)
mid-15c., "legal claim or right; concern; benefit, advantage;" earlier interesse (late 14c.), from Anglo-French interesse "what one has a legal concern in," from Medieval Latin interesse "compensation for loss," noun use of Latin interresse "to concern, make a difference, be of importance," literally "to be between," from inter- "between" (see inter-) + esse "to be" (see essence).
Compare German Interesse, from the same Medieval Latin source. Form in English influenced 15c. by French interest "damage," from Latin interest "it is of importance, it makes a difference," third person singular present of interresse. Financial sense of "money paid for the use of money lent" (1520s) earlier was distinguished from usury (illegal under Church law) by being in reference to "compensation due from a defaulting debtor." Meaning "curiosity" is first attested 1771. Interest group is attested from 1907; interest rate by 1868.
interest (v.)
"to cause to be interested," c. 1600, earlier interesse (1560s), from the noun (see interest (n.)). Perhaps also from or influenced by interess'd, past participle of interesse.
雙語例句
1. We have the interest of 500,000 customers to think of.
我們得為50萬名顧客的利益著想。
來自柯林斯例句
2. Hopes of an early cut in interest rates bolstered confidence.
利率有望早日下調，從而增強了人們的信心。
來自柯林斯例句
3. Interest rates would come down as the recovery gathered pace.
隨著復蘇的加速，利率會降下來。
來自柯林斯例句
4. The government was right to maintain interest rates at a high level.
政府維持高利率的做法是正確的。
來自柯林斯例句
5. If raging inflation returns, then interest rates will shoot up.