noun

flotation

flotation, flotation (finance)

The life vest provides enough flotation to keep you afloat.

The life jacket provides enough flotation to keep you afloat.

The company is planning a stock market flotation next year.

The company is planning a stock market flotation next year.

((flotation)) the fact of floating. The life vest provides enough flotation.

((a stock market flotation)) an occasion when a company's shares are sold to the public for the first time. The company is planning a stock market flotation.

Synonyms: floating, buoyancy; (finance) IPO, stock offering

From 'float' + the suffix '-ation', which indicates an action or process. 'Float' comes from Old English 'flotian'.

Connects to the verb 'to float'. Imagine something floating on water for the physical meaning, or a company 'floating' its shares on the market for the financial one.

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