assets

as·set  (st)

n.

1. A useful or valuable quality, person, or thing; an advantage or resource: proved herself an asset to the company.

2. A valuable item that is owned.

3. A spy working in his or her own country and controlled by the enemy.

4. assets

a. Accounting The entries on a balance sheet showing all properties, both tangible and intangible, and claims against others that may be applied to cover the liabilities of a person or business. Assets can include cash, stock, inventories, property rights, and goodwill.

b. The entire property owned by a person, especially a bankrupt, that can be used to settle debts.

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[Back-formation from English assets, sufficient goods to settle a testator's debts and legacies, from Anglo-Norman asetz, from asez, enough, from Vulgar Latin *ad satis, to sufficiency : Latin ad, to; see ad- + Latin satis, enough; see s- in Indo-European roots.]

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assets [ˈæsɛts]

pl n

1. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Accounting & Book-keeping) Accounting the property and claims against debtors that a business enterprise may apply to discharge its liabilities. Assets may be fixed, current, liquid, or intangible and are shown balanced against liabilities Compare liabilities

2. (Law) Law the property available to an executor or administrator for settlement of the debts and payment of legacies of the estate of a deceased or insolvent person

3. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Banking & Finance) any property owned by a person or firm

[C16 (in the sense: enough to discharge one's liabilities): via Anglo-French from Old French asez enough, from Vulgar Latin ad satis (unattested), from Latin ad up to + satis enough]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

assets - anything of material value or usefulness that is owned by a person or company possession - anything owned or possessed plural, plural form - the form of a word that is used to denote more than one share, percentage, portion, part - assets belonging to or due to or contributed by an individual person or group; "he wanted his share in cash" tax base - collective value of taxable assets receivables - money that you currently expect to receive from notes or accounts crown jewel - the most desirable assets of a corporation; "their crown jewels figured prominently in the takeover attempt" deep pocket - a source of substantial wealth (usually plural); "a patron of the arts should have deep pockets" reserve assets - capital held back from investment in order to meet probable or possible demands amount, amount of money, sum, sum of money - a quantity of money; "he borrowed a large sum"; "the amount he had in cash was insufficient" resource - available source of wealth; a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed intangible, intangible asset - assets that are saleable though not material or physical current assets, liquid assets, quick assets - assets in the form of cash (or easily convertible into cash) investment funds, investment - money that is invested with an expectation of profit equity - the difference between the market value of a property and the claims held against it security, protection - defense against financial failure; financial independence; "his pension gave him security in his old age"; "insurance provided protection against loss of wages due to illness" material resource - assets in the form of material possessions capital - wealth in the form of money or property owned by a person or business and human resources of economic value capital, working capital - assets available for use in the production of further assets cash in hand, finances, funds, monetary resource, pecuniary resource - assets in the form of money hole card - any assets that are concealed until they can be used advantageously credit - money available for a client to borrow overage - a surplus or excess of money or merchandise that is actually on hand and that exceeds expectations accounts receivable - a creditor's accounts of money owed to him; normally arise from the sale of products or services