per cent

UK: /pɜː^rˈsɛnt/

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

per cent / pə ˈsɛnt/ adverb

1. Also: per centum in or for every hundred
   Symbol: %

noun
also: percent / pəˈsɛnt/

1. a percentage or proportion
2. (often plural) securities yielding a rate of interest as specified: he bought three percents

Etymology: 16th Century: from Medieval Latin per centum out of every hundred

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

per•cent or per cent /pɚˈsɛnt/   n. 

1. Mathematics one one-hundredth part;
   1&sfracdenom;100&sfracend;:
   [uncountable* usually after a number] reduced our workload by fifty percent.
2. Mathematics percentage (defs. 1, 3):
   [countable* usually singular] What percent of the people will still vote for him?

adj. [before a noun]

3. figured or expressed on the basis of a rate per hundred:
   a six percent interest rate.
   Symbol: %

See -cent-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

per•cent  (pər sent′), n. 

1. Mathematics Also called per centum. one one-hundredth part;
   ¹⁄₁₀₀.
2. Mathematics percentage (defs. 1, 3.).
3. British Terms stocks, bonds, etc., that bear an indicated rate of interest.

adj. 

4. figured or expressed on the basis of a rate or proportion per hundred (used in combination with a number in expressing rates of interest, proportions, etc.):
   to get three percent interest. Symbol:
   % 

Also, per cent′. 

• short for Medieval Latin per centum by the hundred. See per, cent 1560–70

per•cent′al, adj. 
Usage

Percent is from the Latin adverbial phrase per centum meaning "by the hundred.'' The Latin phrase entered English in the 16th century. Later, it was abbreviated per cent. with a final period. Eventually, the period was dropped and the two parts merged to produce the modern one-word form percent. The two-word form per cent is still used occasionally, but its use is diminishing. The percent sign (%) is used chiefly in scientific, tabular, or statistical material and only with numerals preceding it:
58%.
In the senses "rate or proportion per hundred'' and "proportion in general'' percent and percentage are frequently interchangeable. With a preceding number, only percent occurs (a 16 percent decline); with no preceding number, either occurs, but percentage is much more common:
a certain percentage (or percent) of the land.