means A person or institution that puts money into assets, ventures, or markets with the expectation of earning a financial return.

from From Latin 'investire,' to clothe or dress, from 'in-' (in, on) plus 'vestire' (to clothe), the same root behind 'vest' and 'vestment.' The financial sense grew from the idea of 'clothing' capital in a new form — dressing your bare money in stocks or property. The investment-as-clothing metaphor took firm hold in English commerce by the 17th century, possibly reinforced by trade with the East, where the original literal sense (to install someone in office, robing them in the garments of authority) shaded naturally into the act of committing funds.