NOUN (3)

1. the commercial activity of providing funds and capital;

2. the branch of economics that studies the management of money and other assets;

3. the management of money and credit and banking and investments;


VERB (2)

1. obtain or provide money for;
- Example: "Can we finance the addition to our home?"

2. sell or provide on credit;

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Finance \Fi*nance"\, n. [F., fr. LL. financia payment of money,
   money, fr. finare to pay a fine or subsidy (cf. OF. finer to
   finish, pay), fr. L. finis end. See Fine, n., Finish.]
   1. The income of a ruler or of a state; revenue; public
      money; sometimes, the income of an individual; often used
      in the plural for funds; available money; resources.
      [1913 Webster]

            All the finances or revenues of the imperial crown.
                                                  --Bacon.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. The science of raising and expending the public revenue.
      "Versed in the details of finance." --Macaulay.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Finance \Fi*nance"\, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Financed; p. pr.
   & vb. n. Financing.]
   To conduct the finances of; to provide for, and manage, the
   capital for; to financier.

         Securing foreign capital to finance multitudinous
         undertakings.                            --B. H.
                                                  Chamberlain.
   [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

finance
    n 1: the commercial activity of providing funds and capital
    2: the branch of economics that studies the management of money
       and other assets
    3: the management of money and credit and banking and
       investments
    v 1: obtain or provide money for; "Can we finance the addition
         to our home?"
    2: sell or provide on credit

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

79 Moby Thesaurus words for "finance":
   accounting, acknowledge, afford support, aid, angel, assets,
   assist, back, bank, banking, bankroll, bear, bear out,
   bear the expense, bear up, bolster, bolster up, business, buttress,
   capital, capitalize, cash, chip in, commerce, crutch, defray,
   defray expenses, economics, finances, foot the bill, fund, funds,
   give support, go Dutch, grubstake, help, hold up, holdings,
   honor a bill, invest in, investment, keep, lend support, maintain,
   money, patronize, pay for, pay the bill, pay the bills,
   pay the piper, pension, pension off, promote, prop, prop up,
   provide for, redeem, refinance, reinforce, resources, set up,
   shore, shore up, sponsor, stake, stand the costs, subsidize,
   subvene, subvention, subventionize, support, sustain, undergird,
   underwrite, upbear, uphold, upkeep, wealth, wherewithal



The Devil's Dictionary (1881-1906):

FINANCE, n.  The art or science of managing revenues and resources for
the best advantage of the manager.  The pronunciation of this word
with the i long and the accent on the first syllable is one of
America's most precious discoveries and possessions.