CENT

CENT, signifies properly an hundred, being an abridgement of the word centum; but is often used in commerce to express the profit or loss arising from the sale of any commodity: so that when we say there is 10 per cent. profit, or 10 per cent. loss, upon any merchandise that has been sold, it is to be understood, that the seller has either gained or lost ten pounds on every hundred pounds of the price at which he bought that merchandise; which is $\backslash frac\{1\}\{10\}$ of profit, or $\backslash frac\{1\}\{10\}$ of loss, upon the total of the sale.