Asset
Etymology
From Anglo-French "asetz" (enough), from Latin "ad satis" (to sufficiency) — ad "to" + satis "enough". It began as a legal term meaning having enough property to settle a dead person’s debts. The trailing "-s" was later mistaken for a plural, and the singular "asset" was back-formed from it — a word born from a grammatical misreading.
noun · /ASS-et/
Anything you own that has monetary value or can produce income.
What it names
The other side of your financial ledger from debt — what you could sell, spend, or draw on, from cash to a house to a stake in a business.
Example
After listing every asset and debt, they finally saw their true net worth.
Related idea
Contrast a liability: assets put value in your pocket, liabilities take it out — a rental property you own is an asset, the mortgage on it is a liability.
noun · /ASS-et/
A useful or valuable person, quality, or resource.
What it names
a valuable person or attribute
Example
Her calm under pressure is a real asset to the team.
Related idea
Beyond money, anything that works in your favor; in espionage, an ‘asset’ is a recruited informant.