What is the Latin word for profit?

The usual Latin words for “profit” are lucrum, ēmolumentum, quaestus; also compendium, fruor, ūtilitās. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“profit” in Latin

lucrumprofit, advantage; love of gain, avarice ēmolumentumeffort, exertion, labour; advantage, benefit, gain, profit quaestusgain, acquisition, profit, advantage; occupation, employment, job compendiumsaving; profit or gain, especially made by saving; shortening, abbreviating; abridgement fruorto enjoy; to derive pleasure from; to engage (in)ūtilitāsusefulness, utility; expediency; advantage commoduscomfortable, commodious, suitable, useful, convenient, becoming; opportune, timely, tidy; pleasant, friendly prōsumto be useful or of use, do good, help, benefit, profit; to serve; to be good or beneficial condūcōto lead, bring or draw together; assemble, collect; to connect, join, unite; close up; coagulate; to hire, rent, employ,multummuch; very much, a lot; very

The English word profit itself goes back to Latin faciō, through prōfectus.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

profit s.

lucrum: emolumentum: quaestus: compendium: fructus: utilitas: commodum [SYN. in ADVANTAGE: lucrum, emolumentum are general terms; quaestus and compendium are mercantile terms]. (The words are found in this connection and order.) quaestus et lucrum: quaestus et compendium: source of profit, quaestus; res ex qua aliquid acquiritur (Cic., Off., 1, 42, 151): great profit, quaestus magnus: lucrum magnum, amplum: small profit, lucellum: lucrum non magnum: quaestus turpis, mediocris, etc.: to derive profit from anything, utilitatem capere or percipere ex re; fructum capere or percipere ex re [☞ fructum alicujus rei is more common than ex re when the thing from which the person derives profit is possessed by himself; e.g., capio magnum laboris mei fructum]: to make great profits, multum lucri auferre: to be making no profits, nullum facere quaestum; nihil proficere: to have an eye to one’s own profit, aliquid ad fructum suum referre: privato suo commodo servire (of the habit): the profit of a farm, etc., fructus quem praedia reddunt; praediorum mercedulae (both of rent); praediorum proventus (of the whole produce): the landlord receives a great profit, puri atque reliqui aliquid ad dominum pervenit: to make profit one’s first object, or the first consideration, omnia quaestu metiri; omnia ad emolumentum revocare: what profit have I in deceiving you? quid mihi lucri est te fallere? (Terentianus): to bring in (so much) profit, fructum ferre (Cic.); lucrum apportare (Plaut.); lucro esse alicui: to make profits, lucrum or quaestum facere: I calculate my profits, enumero quod ad me rediturum puto. Vid. ADVANTAGE, GAIN.

profit v.

Transitively, utilem esse: usui esse: ex usu esse: utilitatem or usum praebere: prodesse: conducere. To profit anybody much, magnae utilitati esse; magnam utilitatem afferre; plurimum or valde prodesse: not to profit anybody much, non multum prodesse: to profit anybody, esse ex usu alicujus; esse ex re or in rem alicujus (of a thing): alicui prodesse (of persons or things): aliquem juvare (by assistance), alicui adesse (by advice or support; both of men).

Intransitively, To profit by anything, utilitatem, or fructum capere, or percipere ex re (but also, alicujus rei, especially if the person himself possesses the thing; e.g., capio magnum laboris mei fructum): commodum facere ex re (both of gaining advantage from): proficere: progredi: progressus facere: procedere (all in re; to make progress). Vid: To GAIN.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for profit?: The usual Latin words for “profit” are lucrum, ēmolumentum, quaestus; also compendium, fruor, ūtilitās. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.