Percentage

Percentage

Noun · /pəˈsɛntɪdʒ/ · a proportion or rate expressed as a fraction of one hundred

Definition

A number or rate expressed as a fraction of one hundred, written with the symbol %. Fifty percent means fifty out of every hundred. Percentage is the noun form — you say a high percentage of students passed, meaning a large proportion. It is used in mathematics, finance, statistics, everyday conversation, and almost every professional field.

Origin

From Medieval Latin per centum — per (for each) + centum (hundred). Literally: for each hundred. The English word percentage adds the suffix -age to create a noun meaning "a rate per hundred." The concept existed in ancient Roman tax calculations, but the modern symbol % and the word percentage became standard in European commerce during the 17th and 18th centuries.