BusinessJuly 15, 2026

divestment

/daɪˈvest.mənt/

Definition

The process by which a government sells off its stake in public sector companies or assets to generate capital.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'dis-' (away/off) and 'vestire' (to clothe), it originally meant to strip someone of their robes or authority. It evolved into the financial sense of removing or selling off capital assets or business interests.

In the news

In the article, the term refers to the government selling its holdings in public enterprises to raise funds, specifically highlighted as reaching a four-year high to address fiscal pressure caused by geopolitical conflict.

Benchmarks pare most gains; European market decline

Read the full article ↗

Business Standard

Related words

Learn a word like this every day

Meet one new word every morning.

Newspoken pulls one carefully chosen word from the day’s news — with a clear definition, context, and light review that makes it stick. Get it on your phone.

Not for marketing. One email on launch day.