Business — Set 18

Set 18 of Business covers 5 words: firm, fluctuation, stock, shareholder, bid. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. firm · noun/fərm/

   company

   If you are an undergraduate student, try to get an internship at a Wall Street firm or similar institution the summer after your junior year of college.

   Synonyms: business, corporation

   Origin: Middle English: from Old French ferme, from Latin firmus

2. fluctuation · noun/ˌfləktʃʊˈeɪʃən/

   frequent changes in the amount or value of something

   Changes in fuel prices also lead to price fluctuations in the transportation industry

   Synonyms: change

3. stock · noun/stɑk/

   investment in a company

   Investors want to buy stocks in companies that have consistent revenue and profit growth.

   Synonyms: share, property

   Origin: Old English stoc(c) ‘trunk, block of wood, post’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stok and German Stock ‘stick’. The notion ‘store, fund’ (stock and stock) arose in late Middle English and is of obscure origin, perhaps expressing ‘growth from a central stem’ or ‘firm foundation’

4. shareholder · noun/ˈʃɛrˌ(h)oʊldər/

   someone who owns shares of stock in a company

   At least one of the shareholders of the company must have the right to management and representation of the company.

   Synonyms: stockholder

5. bid · noun/bɪd/

   a formal proposal to buy something

   The best bid is the highest price that an investor is willing to pay for an asset.

   Synonyms: offer, proposal

   Origin: Old English bēodan ‘to offer, command’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch bieden and German bieten