Interest

1 Inerest, in a strictly monetary sense, is related to the Latin word “terra”, meaning ground or earth.

2 At death, one’s remains may in “interred” at a cemetery. Interred means “placed in the ground.”

3 Interest, continuing in the monetary sense, describes a payment made for a particular kind of service rendered, a loan of money.

4 This special association becomes clear when we remember that money is a thing of exchange.

5 Payment for the use of money is called interest because the action of lending money is much like placing the precious metal back into the ground.

6 It becomes virtually inaccessible to the lender.

7 If you inter your money in a bank, for example, the payment you receive for doing so is called inter-est. Think of it as in-terra-est, meaning in + the earth + it is.

8 Interest, in a non-monetary sense, denotes an involvement in an action, or in a contract for the performance of an action.

9 This form and usage of interest stems from the root “inter”, meaning between.

10 For example, if you hold an interest in a corporation, you may own some or all of the corpor-ation’s stock.

11 As a stockholder, you have a legal voice in the corporation’s business. Before your corporate officers may act, they must obtain approval from you.

12 You stand as a barrier between them and something they might want to do.

13 Therefore interest in its monetary sense is the same as usury. (interest = usury).

14 But interest in its non-monetary sense is not even remotely related to usury.

15 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.