credit-rating
UK[ˈkred.ɪt ˌreɪ.tɪŋ]US[ˈkred.ɪt ˌreɪ.t̬ɪŋ]
n
An assessment of the creditworthiness of a borrower, typically a company or government, indicating the risk involved in lending money to them.
n
The grade or score resulting from such an assessment.
Morpheme Breakdown
credit
rating
credit
trustworthiness
rating
assessment
Etymology
The compound noun 'credit-rating' is a modern financial term built from two established English words. Its first element, 'credit', originates from the Latin verb 'credere', meaning 'to believe, trust, or entrust', which is itself derived from the Proto-Indo-European root 'kerd-', meaning 'heart', as trust was historically associated with matters of the heart. The second element, 'rating', stems from the verb 'rate', which entered English from Old French 'reter' and ultimately from Latin 'ratus' (reckoned, fixed), the past participle of 'reri' (to think, calculate). Thus, a 'credit-rating' is literally the calculated assessment of trustworthiness, specifically in a financial context, linking the ancient concept of heartfelt trust to a contemporary system of quantitative evaluation.
Analysis
Structure: credit (trustworthiness) + rating (assessment)
- credit: From Latin 'creditum' (a loan, thing entrusted), from 'credere' (to trust, entrust). Functions as the core noun denoting trustworthiness or financial trust.
- rating: From English verb 'rate' (to estimate the value or rank of) + the suffix '-ing' (forming a noun of action or result). Functions as the noun denoting the act or result of assessment.
Examples
The company's credit-rating was downgraded after it reported significant losses.
Investors pay close attention to the credit-rating of government bonds before purchasing them.
A strong credit-rating allows a corporation to borrow money at lower interest rates.