Etymology Map
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Percent

3 stages from Latin to English.

Today it means out of every hundred

Where does the word "percent" come from? It comes from Latin per centum, passing through Italian before entering English (1560s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
per centum
Latin · ancient
"by the hundred"
'by the hundred'
2
Stage 2 of 3
per cento
Italian · medieval
"per hundred"
Italian merchants and bankers used it in commercial arithmetic; its abbreviation slowly became the % sign
3
Stage 3 of 3
per cent
English · 1560s
"per hundred"
written 'per cent.' with a full stop, as an abbreviation of 'per centum', into the 1900s
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Read the full story

Percent’s story begins in Latin: per centum meant “by the hundred.” 'by the hundred'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Italian as per cento. Italian merchants and bankers used it in commercial arithmetic; its abbreviation slowly became the % sign. It reached English by 1560s as per cent. Written 'per cent.' with a full stop, as an abbreviation of 'per centum', into the 1900s. Today, percent means out of every hundred.