that part of the earnings of a corporation that is distributed to its shareholders; usually paid quarterly
"The company announced a quarterly dividend that would be distributed directly to all its shareholders next month."
a number to be divided by another number
"In today's math class, we solved several problems where twelve was treated as the dividend in a division equation."
a bonus; something extra (especially a share of a surplus)
"After finishing his chores early, Tom was given an ice cream as a dividend to his hard work."
A number or expression that is to be divided by another.
"In the fraction 10 over 2, ten acts as the dividend while two serves as the divisor."
In plain English: A dividend is extra money that an investor gets from owning shares of a company, usually paid out regularly as a reward for their investment.
"The company paid its shareholders a quarterly dividend for their investment in the stock."
Usage: In everyday language, dividend refers specifically to the share of profits distributed to shareholders from a company's earnings. Do not confuse this financial term with its mathematical definition, which describes the number being divided in an equation.
From Middle French dividende, from Latin dīvidendum ("thing to be divided"), future passive participle of dīvidō ("to divide"), by surface analysis, divide + -end.