Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - fund

 I. noun  Etymology: Latin ~us bottom, country estate — more at bottom  Date: 1694  1.  a. a sum of money or other resources whose principal or interest is set apart for a specific objective  b. money on deposit on which checks or drafts can be drawn — usually used in plural  c. capital  d. plural the stock of the British national debt — usually used with the  2. an available quantity of material or intangible resources ; supply  3. plural available pecuniary resources  4. an organization administering a special ~  II. transitive verb  Date: 1789  1.  a. to make provision of resources for discharging the interest or principal of  b. to provide ~s for a federally ~ed program  2. to place in a ~ ; accumulate  3. to convert into a debt that is payable either at a distant date or at no definite date and that bears a fixed interest ~ a floating debt  • ~er noun  III. abbreviation ~amental