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percent

Syllabification: (per·cent)

Pronunciation: /pərˈsent/

(also chiefly Britishper cent)

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Definition of percent

adverb

by a specified amount in or for every hundred:new car sales may be down nineteen percent staff rejected a 1.8 percent increase

noun

one part in every hundred:a reduction of half a percent or so in price
the rate, number, or amount in each hundred; percentage:the percent of drug users who are infected

Origin:

mid 16th century: from per + cent, perhaps an abbreviation of pseudo-Latin per centum

Both spellings, percent and per cent, are acceptable, but consistency should be maintained. Percent is more common in US usage; per cent is more common in British usage.

percent in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of percent in the British & World English dictionary

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