stockholder
Meaning
A person or organization that owns shares in a company.
Structure
Usage
The board's new policy was approved by a majority of the stockholders.
As a stockholder, she receives a portion of the company's annual profits.
The merger proposal will be put to a vote of the stockholders next month.
Etymology
The word 'stockholder' is a transparent compound formed within English from two native elements. 'Stock' originates from the Old English word for a tree trunk or post, a concrete object representing a core resource. By the 16th century, this metaphor extended to the concept of a permanent capital fund, the 'stock' of a merchant, which was later divided into transferable shares. 'Holder' derives from the Old English verb for grasping or keeping. Combined, 'stockholder' literally means "one who holds shares of the company's capital stock," directly linking the concrete idea of holding a tangible asset to the modern abstract concept of corporate ownership.
Analysis
- stock: From Old English stocc (tree trunk, post, log). In this context, it evolved through the sense of "capital" or "fund" to mean the capital of a company divided into shares. - holder: From Old English healdan (to hold), with the agent suffix -er (one who does or has something). It denotes a person who possesses or owns something.