percent
Definitions
A rate, number, or amount in each hundred; one part in a hundred.
百分比；百分率；每百中的一份。
By a stated amount out of every hundred (used right after a number).
百分之……地（紧跟在数字后使用）。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedFrom the Latin phrase per centum, 'by the hundred.' per (for each) + cent (hundred) = 'for each hundred.' So '50 percent' means '50 out of every 100.' English froze the two-word Latin phrase into a single word; the base of comparison is always 100.
Root cent still carries 7 more wordsUsage Guide
- After a number, use percent (AmE) or per cent (BrE, two words): 30 percent / 30 per cent.
- The symbol % replaces the word in figures and tables: a 30% rise.
- 'percent of + plural noun' takes a plural verb (40 percent of voters were undecided); with a singular/uncountable noun it stays singular (40 percent of the cake was eaten).
- Don't confuse percent (always tied to a number) with the standalone noun percentage (a general proportion).
Example Sentences
- 1.
About sixty percent of the students passed the exam on their first try.
- 2.
Prices rose by three percent over the past year.
- 3.
I'm a hundred percent sure I locked the door this morning.
- 4.
The store is offering twenty percent off everything this weekend.
Easily Confused
percent vs percentage — Use percent right after a specific number (20 percent, a hundred percent). Use percentage for a general, unquantified proportion (a small percentage of people, the percentage of votes). Rule of thumb: if a number is attached, say percent; if you're talking about the proportion itself, say percentage.